Legend of the Pharaoh's Gold
by Disco Ant
Summary: Pavlo's Diamond, an item often retold in children's stories, is said to be the key to a past kings great wealth. Unsure if the tales are true, Lupin sets out to find if the diamond will be worth the trouble. Rated M for language and death. Sequel added.
1. Chapter 1

First off, let me just say I haven't read this thing in some time, so it might be completely retarded, I don't know. xD But I figured I'd put it here as a comparison of sorts and since this was my first Lupin fanfic.

This was written in 2004-2005 during a really shitty time in my life, and so this story came out really angry and crap. I just remember Jigen being way too angry and I think Zenigata is, too. And the stupid cop character I threw in...

Gosh, these chapters are long.... Anyway, this thing has lots of language and one mild sex scene, I think. And death. Fun stuff like that. So, if you still want to read this, enjoy. Or laugh? I really don't want to read this again to find out how bad it might be. xD Although I could be surprised and find it's actually good. Hmm...

Whoa, dumb title names.... I was thinking of reading these and then putting my thoughts at the end, but I don't know if people would want to read them or if it'd be too much. Interested? Let me know. xD

* * *

**Chapter One - Hot Ice**

The morning had started out like the usual winter morning, cold and damp. Inspector Zenigata walked down the sidewalk from his parked car. As he reached the steps of the police station he stopped, dreading to start his day like he has all of the others. The memory of last weeks botched arrest still nagged at him. He looked up at the station doors and, dragging his feet, made his way up the stairs and inside. He opened the door to his office and entered, closing the door behind him. He removed his coat, tossing it over the back of the couch and set his hat down on his desk.

"Damn punk ass kids," he mumbled as he walked around the desk and sat down. "I can't even arrest them." The phone rang and he picked it up. "Hello," he said with an angry tone. "Yeah, I have the paperwork." He paused and rubbed his eyes with his hand as he listened. "No, I haven't filled it out, yet." He looked up and sighed, rolling his eyes. "I'll get to it as soon as you quit wasting my time with this dumbass conversation!" He slammed the phone down and sat as his desk, staring down at the long overdue paperwork that piled on top of it.

------------

Across town in an old apartment building, Lupin, Jigen, Goemon and Fujiko sat around and planned out their next heist. Lupin sighed as he ran his index finger around the rim of an empty glass. "Anything of interest, lately?" he asked the others.

"I got a tip," Fujiko said as she smiled at Lupin. "It'll cost you, though."

Lupin looked at her and then at the others. "Anyone else?"

Fujiko glared at Lupin. "Oh, okay. So, you don't want my help. I see how it is."

"No, I'd love your help. It's just that whenever I listen to you I get in a shitload of trouble." He looked up at her and smiled.

Jigen pulled out a cigarette and put it in his mouth. "I've got nothing." He lit it and looked over at Goemon. "What about you?"

Goemon sat on the floor, his eyes closed and his sword laying next to him. He shook his head. "Nothing of interest."

Lupin sighed and looked over at Fujiko. "Fine. What's the tip?"

"You serious, man?" Jigen asked. "The last time you listened to her we almost got killed."

"Yeah, I know that." Lupin closed his eyes, trying to stay calm. "You got any better ideas?"

"This is bullshit." Jigen looked over at a smirking Fujiko. Angered, he stood up and left the room.

Fujiko watched as the door closed and she turned her attention towards Lupin. "Well, there's going to be some kind of auction being held tomorrow in the Bahamas and the main attraction is some famed diamond. I've never heard of it, but it's supposedly worth a lot of money."

"How much money?"

"Who knows. Millions, billions, it all depends on who wants it."

"And what's this tip gonna cost me?"

"I'll let you know." She looked at him and smiled. Goemon looked up and glanced over at her and then closed his eyes again.

------------

Zenigata sat at his desk and filled out the paperwork. As he finished each file he closed it and set it aside. He filled out the last one and threw it on top of the others. Looking down at his desk he noticed an envelope that had become buried and picked it up. "Shit," he said as he pulled out the papers inside. They were the divorce forms his wife's lawyer had given him last week, still unread and still unsigned. "I'm surprised the little prick hasn't called, yet." He started to look over the papers when his door opened. He looked up in surprise. The police chief stood in the doorway.

"Inspector. I'm putting you on a new case." The chief turned and looked behind him. "Pullman," he called to another officer. "Come here." The officer walked up behind him. "You two will be working together on this case. Here's the info." He threw a file down on Zenigata's desk. He smiled at both of them. "Have fun," he said and he turned and left them.

"Huh?" Zenigata seemed confused as he looked down at the file and up at the officer.

"Hi. I'm Kris. Kris Pullman." Kris Pullman, a female officer brought in from the US, was a few months past 27. Her shoulder length brown hair was tied back in a small ponytail. Her black pants and dark blue shirt with "Seattle PD" sewn on the left breast both seemed to be one size too large for her 5'9" frame.

"Hi," said Zenigata as he looked down at the file. "Pavlo's Diamond?"

"Yup. It's supposed to be legendary. Some crap about the key to some treasure or something like that."

He looked up at her. "And why is this important?"

"Because....." she replied, looking at him and shrugging. As Zenigata read the file, she glanced around the office. Her eyes spotted the papers on his desk and she stared at them. "There's supposed to be some auction or something, but the whole thing is a setup to get people's money."

"And the diamond is the main item?" He looked up at her and she quickly took her eyes off the papers and looked at him.

"It's supposed to be. The man heading this operation, J.C. Reynolds, was a big dealer in Washington state. He was running a shop out of Kyoto, but by the time I came he had already packed up and fled."

"And why did I get pulled into this?"

"There are rumors that this whole thing is also a trap to catch Lupin III."

"Lupin?!" He stood up and looked at her. "So, where is this auction?"

------------

"So, you packed?" Lupin asked Fujiko as he walked up behind her. He looked down at her suitcase. "I think you've got too many clothes. You know what they say. Less is more." He grinned as she turned and looked at him.

"This is serious. Can't you think with your brain for once?" The look on her face was one of business, not pleasure. She closed up the suitcase and started to walk out.

"Huh? Hey, wait a sec." Lupin caught up with her and they walked together down the hall. "What's your problem, Fujiko. Why the serious look?"

"The man in charge of the auction isn't just some rich guy. He's also got ties to the Chinese mob."

"And?" He put his hands behind his head and smiled. "Don't tell me you're that concerned for my safety."

"No. I'm concerned about mine."

They made their way outside to the car. Lupin put the suitcase in the trunk as Fujiko got in. He closed the trunk and walked to the drivers side door. As he passed the back window he slapped his hand against it and looked in. Jigen sat there, unamused, and looked at him.

"Cheer up, Jigen," Lupin said as he sat down. "If this thing is a success then we'll all be a lot richer."

"If?" Jigen asked as Lupin started the car. He looked over at Goemon, who sat quietly next to him.

------------

Kris followed Zenigata down the aisle of the plane and sat down next to him in her seat. She rested her head back and stared at the ceiling. "God, I just got off a long flight. I'm gonna have jet lag for a month." She sighed as she looked around the plane. "Why are we leaving so early? The auction isn't until tomorrow."

"Is that all you do is whine? I swear, your worse than my kid."

"You have a kid?" She looked over at him. "How old?"

"She's twelve." The expression on his face changed as he turned to stare out the window. "So, who's this Reynolds guy?" he asked, quickly changing the subject.

"He's some bank executive turned black market trader. His name popped up about six months ago when his wife disappeared. The FBI ended up getting involved and they found out his little secret."

"So, what does he want with Lupin?"

"Don't know. Maybe Lupin pissed him off. Or maybe it was an order from the head of the Chinese mob."

"What?! The mob?"

"Yeah." She looked at him and laughed nervously. "Did I not mention that part?"

"Shit. So, he has ties to the mob. Anything else you want to bring up?"

"Um, well, anyone who has investigated him has mysteriously disappeared." She looked at him and smiled.

"Dammit." He rested his hand on his chin and stared out the window.

"Hey, don't worry." She looked up as more people started to come on the plane. "He doesn't know about us, yet." She looked at him and then down at her lap. A worried expression came over her face as she nervously watched the people board the plane.

------------

Lupin and Fujiko walked into the airport and sat at one of the couches in the entry. Goemon and Jigen followed, Jigen stuck carrying the suitcases. They caught up with them and Jigen set the luggage down.

"You two go get the tickets," Lupin told Goemon and Jigen. "We'll wait for you here." He smiled and closed his eyes as he cuddled with Fujiko. Jigen and Goemon turned and walked towards the desk.

"Why are we stuck doing this shit?" asked Jigen as they came closer to the ticket counter. He stopped as he saw the long line that formed before him. "Fuck." He sighed and stood at the end of the line.

"Do you think this diamond is for real?" asked Goemon. "What if it's a set-up?"

"Who knows. All I care about is getting this job over with." Lifting up his hat slightly with his index finger, he looked up towards the front of the line. He looked back at Lupin and Fujiko and lowered his hat. "It is strange, though. How can it be famous if we've never heard about it?"

"Fujiko may just be using us to-"

"May? She may just be using us? She's been using us since the day we met her. She's nothing but a greedy bitch." He glanced back at the couch. Lupin and Fujiko were busy making out. "And all he ever thinks about around women is his dick."

"Women can be very dangerous."

"Yeah." They moved up in the line. Jigen remained quiet, deep in thought.

"You miss her?" Goemon looked over at Jigen.

"Tch, leave it to a woman to screw up your life, huh?" He looked over at Goemon, who was looking at him in surprise. "What? Let's just talk about something else, okay?" He looked ahead and moved forward with the line.

"We're almost up to the counter."

"Something interesting." He sighed as they walked forward. "I still don't see why we have to do this. One diamond can't be that important."

"But, it's famous." He looked over at Jigen and grinned. The person in front of them got their ticket and left the counter. They walked up and stood there, waiting to be helped. The woman working the desk was on the phone and laughing, glancing at Jigen and Goemon on occasion. The people in the line started to become impatient, as did Jigen.

"Hey! What the fuck are you doing? Get off the damn phone!" he yelled at the woman. Goemon glanced over at Jigen and shook his head.

"Just one second, sir," the woman said, not a bit affected by his yelling.

"What the hell? Just give us our damn tickets!"

The woman hung up the phone and returned to the counter. "Yes? How can I help you?" she asked them, a big smile on her face.

"Huh?" Jigen asked, confused and dumfounded by her behavior.

"We need four tickets to the Bahamas." Goemon told the attendant.

"Okay, and where would you be going?" she asked, still chipper and polite.

"To the Bahamas, like I said." Goemon stood there with a confused look on his face.

"God dammit," Jigen said as he brought his hand up to his face. "Nassau. We're going to Nassau. Now give us our damn tickets."

"Yes, right away, sir." She started to type quickly, glancing at Goemon occasionally. The tickets were printed and she handed them to Goemon. Jigen reached out and snatched the tickets and walked away. Goemon smiled at her and caught up with Jigen.

"What was that about? You two know each other?" Jigen looked at the tickets.

"No, I've never seen her before. Why?"

"Damn! Where's terminal 34?" He stopped and looked around. Lupin and Fujiko saw them and walked up.

"Got the tickets?" Lupin asked them.

"No, dumbfuck. I'm only holding them." Jigen looked at a grinning Lupin and got angrier. "Why don't you three make yourselves useful and help me find terminal 34?"

"Geez, Jigen. Calm down." Fujiko glared at Jigen.

"Listen, bitch, I -"

"Jigen! Just get the damn luggage and shut up!" Lupin took the tickets from him and started to walk. The others followed.

They walked down the terminal and boarded the plane. Lupin sat next to Fujiko and put his head on her shoulder. He looked behind him at a still angry Jigen. "Couldn't afford the good seats?" Lupin smiled.

Jigen sat with his arms crossed and glared at Lupin. "You're lucky you got tickets at all."

"I still don't see why me and Jigen have to do all the work." Goemon looked around the plane.

"We what?" Jigen asked, looking at Goemon and then at Lupin. "So, she came up with the idea and we have to go through with it?"

"Me and Fujiko are taking a vacation. You two can handle it. I trust you." He snuggled up to Fujiko.

"Fuck," Jigen said as he sat back in the seat and crossed his arms again.

------------

Kris sat in her seat, still thinking about the case. She turned, glancing at Zenigata. His head rested on the back of the seat, eyes closed and arms folded across his chest. She sat back in her seat and closed her eyes, trying to relax. The stewardess walked by, startling Kris. Zenigata opened an eye and glanced at her.

"You should order a drink. It'll help calm you down," he said as he opened his eyes and sat up.

"I thought you were asleep." She layed her head against the back of the seat and looked up at the ceiling. "And alcohol just makes me pissed."

"It usually does." He looked down at his watch. "We should be arriving soon." He sat, quietly staring out the window, a little uncomfortable as he thought of a way to start a conversation. "So, when did you join the academy?"

"Huh?" She was broken from her daydream and looked at him. "Oh, um, almost nine years ago. My dad used to be a detective, so I got through it pretty easy."

"Is he retired?"

"No. He was murdered while working a case."

"Oh, I'm sorry. That's too bad."

"Yeah. He was really good, too." She looked down, trying not to think too much about it. "What about your father? Is he a cop, too?"

"He was. He died in a car crash some years back."

"Oh. So, I guess we have something in common, then, huh?" She looked at him and forced a smile.

"Yeah, that and being stuck with this case." He sighed and stared out the window.

------------

Lupin and Fujiko walked together down the halls of the hotel. Finding their room, they stopped and waited for Jigen and Goemon, trailing behind them. Lupin opened the door and looked at them. "Well, thanks to the amazing science of time zones, the auctions gonna be in four hours, so you two had better think of something. Good luck." He smiled as he and Fujiko entered the room and closed the door.

"Yeah, thanks," replied Jigen as he and Goemon were left there, staring at the door. They turned and left the hotel, exiting the doors and walking down along the street. "So? What do you think?" Jigen asked as he grabbed a cigarette and placed it between his lips. "Do we have a plan or do we just go in and take it?"

"I think some kind of plan would work better," Goemon replied, stopping and looking down at a newspaper that was displayed at a corner periodical stand. "Is this something important?" He turned and looked at Jigen as he walked over and read it.

"Her ladyships auction. Killinger Mansion. It's in a mansion? Great. How the hell are we supposed to get inside of that place?"

"Let's just find this place. We'll figure it out when we see it." They continued walking down the street.

------------

At the mansion a crowd had started to gather. People in expensive suits and dresses filled the entry. The light from the chandelier above them sparkled in their jewelry as they chatted and sipped their wine. Zenigata followed a short, heavyset man inside and into a study, Kris following closely behind.

"Did he send a note to you?" Zenigata asked the man.

"A note?" The man thought about it. "No, I don't remember ever seeing a note. Should there be one?"

"The little bastard always leaves a note behind. It's sort of like his calling card. Are you sure you never received one?"

"I don't remember seeing it, but maybe one of the servants did. Let me go ask them." The man left the room.

"This assignment isn't to arrest Lupin, remember?" Kris looked up at him with an irritated look on her face. "Note or no note, it doesn't matter." She walked around the room and looked at the paintings on the wall. "I bet you all of these were stolen."

"So, what do you want to do? Arrest him for stolen goods?" Zenigata asked her sarcastically. They glared at each other. Zenigata opened his mouth to say something when the man entered the room.

"Nobody has seen a note. Is that good?" The man seemed worried and a little nervous about having cops in his house.

"It could be. So, I see you collect paintings," Zenigata said as he looked at Kris.

"So," Kris started, turning her attention to the man. "What sort of things are you auctioning off?"

The man looked at her, starting to get a little uneasy. "Well," he started, "the usual. Collectibles, rare items and treasures. Things that others want."

"That's fine," Zenigata said before Kris could reply. "We'll just be out in the auctioning room making sure everything's alright." He walked over and opened the door, holding it open for Kris. She glared at him and walked out. He followed and they made their way through the long halls into the large, almost auditorium like auction room. "Do I have to remind you I'm in charge of this case?" Zenigata asked as he checked out the interior of the mansion.

"Whatever. I just think you're missing the whole point."

"And what would that be?"

"Did it ever occur to you that perhaps it would be easier to investigate if the diamond was stolen? Or is your head to far up your ass to think properly?"

"Can I talk to you outside, officer?" Zenigata grabbed Kris' arm and pulled her outside. "So, your plan is to have us fail at our job? Is that it?"

"Yeah. And how different would that be to you? Aren't you the master of failing?"

"I won't just let the diamond get stolen and I won't let you talk to me that way!" Zenigata stepped up and got into her face as he yelled at her. She stood, glaring at him as he continued to yell.

------------

Jigen and Goemon stood on a small hill overlooking the mansion. Jigen turned and looked at the setting sun. "The auction is about to start and it's still light out. How are we supposed to get in this place?"

"We wait until it gets dark." Goemon said as he sat with his eyes closed.

"Okay, that doesn't help." Jigen pulled the binoculars to his eyes and looked through them. "Huh?" he said as he spotted something.

"What is it?" asked Goemon, looking up at him.

"It's Zenigata and he's with some woman." He watched as they stood, still arguing. "I wonder what they're saying?"

"Why don't we go down and get a closer look at the mansion."

"Sure. Why not."

They made their way down the hill and towards the tall, cinderblock wall that surrounded the mansion. Jigen nodded to Goemon and he pulled out his sword, slicing a hole through the wall. The pieces fell as they stood, gazing into the back courtyard. Stepping over the debris, they walked to the rear of the mansion, looking it over. "Well?" Jigen asked, looking over at Goemon. He stood with his eyes closed.

"Their security is lacking. They must all be inside." As he opened his eyes he looked up towards the roof. "There," he said as he pointed at the small eaves over the back windows. "We can use those to get to the roof. We'll enter from above."

------------

As the people continued to bid for the rare and expensive items, Zenigata and Kris stood, each at opposite ends of the room, and watched. Kris, still angry at the fight with Zenigata, watched as small white paddles rose from the crowd. She yawned, bored with everything around her and disgusted by the people in the room. 'Damn rich bastards couldn't give a fuck about the real world,' she thought to herself. 'As long as they have what they want, they're happy. God, they make me sick.'

'Over 5 million dollars for that?' Zenigata thought as the people bid on a gaudy painting. 'I'm no art expert, but that thing's a piece of crap.' He stared at the painting and then across the room at Kris. She stood completely still, her eyes following the paddles as they rose from place to place above the heads of the people. 'How can she stay awake during all of this? I'm so damn bored.' He looked down at his watch. 'Eleven-thirty. Almost time.'

'Maybe I shouldn't be so angry with him,' Kris continued thinking. 'That folder was addressed to him from an attorney. Maybe he got into some kind of trouble. I would be a little pissed off, too, if someone had filed a lawsuit against me. I guess I should apologize.' She looked down at her watch. 'Will this ever end?' she asked herself desperately.

"And the last item on the auctioning block tonight is the famous Pavlo's diamond. This item will start at one million. We will start the bidding now," the auctioneer said. The paddles started to rise quickly, the man keeping the price rising as the people aggressively tried to outbid one another.

'That's it?' Kris and Zenigata both thought to themselves. All of a sudden the lights went out and the room went pitch black. There were various yells and shouts from the men in the crowd while the women screamed in fright.

"Everyone! Just stay where you are!" Zenigata yelled as he ran towards the stage.

"Hey!" Kris yelled as she shined her flashlight on a figure on the stage. "Stop right...huh?" She turned as someone ran up behind her. "Hey...ugh!" she yelled as something hit her hard on the head. She fell to the floor, knocked out from the hit. Zenigata, running to the stage, tripped and fell. As he got up the lights went back on. Looking at the stage , he noticed the diamond was gone.

"Kris! Hey, Kris!" he yelled, looking for her. He ran over and saw her laying on the floor. "Hey, Kris, wake up." he said as he knelt down by her and patted her face. He looked around at the shocked crowd and saw two men walking towards him. "Shit." He lowered his head, an all too familiar feeling coming over him.

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Back at the hotel room, Lupin sat at the table looking over the diamond. Fujiko was leaned over him, her arms on his shoulders as she stared at the medium sized rock in his hands. Jigen and Goemon stood on the other side of the table, staring down at him. "Well?" Jigen asked. "Is it real?"

"It's real, alright," Lupin said, setting the diamond on the table. "It just appears to be an ordinary diamond, though."

They all stood and stared at the diamond, as if waiting for it to tell them it's secret.

"Whatever," said Jigen as he started to walk towards the door. "I'm gonna get some sleep."

"Yes. I, too, need to rest," replied Goemon as he followed Jigen. They got to the door and turned, looking back at Lupin and Fujiko.

"You three enjoy yourselves tonight," Jigen said with a grin. They walked out and closed the door.

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Zenigata and Kris were still in the mansion, sitting in the owners study once again. Kris, holding a small bag of ice on her head, stared around the room. "All of these paintings, they're all stolen."

"Do you think I care about the fucking paintings right now?" Zenigata sat on the couch next to her, staring at the floor in front of him. His heart was beating fast. He looked up at the clock on the wall. "One in the morning. Why the hell are we still here?"

"God, my head!" Kris moaned as she put her head back against the couch. "I'm gonna beat the shit out of the guy-" she stopped her sentance as the door opened and the mansion's owner walked in, two of his guards at his side.

"It would have been wise for you two to have not even come. But, since you did, I hold you responsible for the theft of my property. And," he said as the two men grabbed Zenigata and Kris, "I trust you return it to me."

"Fuck you," Kris said as she glared at the man. He laughed and walked up to her.

"The last bid on that diamond was for 75 million dollars. That's more than you'll ever see in your lifetime." He laughed and grinned as he stared at her. "And if you fail to bring the diamond back, you will regret it."

"Ooh, I'm so scared," said Kris sarcastically.

"As you should be," replied the man as he motioned to the two holding Kris and Zenigata.

"We apologize for our screw-up, sir," said Zenigata as he bowed his head. "We will do everything we can to return your property to you. You have our full cooperation."

"Huh?" Kris said, looking at him in disbelief as the two guards took them out the door. The man turned and looked out of the large window behind his desk, an evil grin on his face as he watched Zenigata and Kris get in their car and leave.


	2. Chapter 2

I skimmed this thing the other night and was a little sad that it wasn't that terrible. xD Parts of it I actually really like and parts of it I was embarrassed that I even wrote. And there is no mild sex scene that I saw. Sad, I know. I think I'm thinking of the original of this story I wrote, which was really violent and I started to hate, so rewrote it into this.

And I forgot this has a sequel that I hated. Sigh.

The part with Goemon in this.... wow, that was really stupid. xD

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**Chapter Two - The Twin  
**

"Hey, we made the front page," said Jigen as he held up the paper, showing it to Lupin. Lupin sat in deep concentration, staring down at the diamond. "You're gonna go crazy if you think about that thing for much longer."

"Shut up. Just read what it says." Lupin kept his eyes on the diamond.

"Famous diamond stolen. Suspects escape."

"Does it say anything about the diamond?" Lupin asked, cutting off Jigen as he read. Jigen looked at him and shook his head.

"Yeah, sure." He skimmed over the article. "Let's see, it says a J.C. Reynolds was the owner of the diamond. It's famous, or so he says. I've never heard of it before." He paused and lowered the paper. "Hey, Lupin, do you think that-"

"Dammit, Jigen!" Lupin said as he pounded his fist on the table. "Does it say what the diamond is called?" he asked, trying not to lose his temper completely.

"Yeah, hold on. Don't be such a bitch about it." He skimmed over the article. "Pavlo's Diamond. There, happy?" He set the paper down and got up, walking over to the table. "So?" he asked Lupin.

"I know about this diamond," Lupin said in realization. "My grandpa told me about it when I was a kid." He stopped, his mind deep in thought.

Jigen stood, waiting for him to continue. "And? What'd he say about it?"

"He said it was the key to an ancient treasure and that no one had ever found it."

"Well," said Jigen as he picked up the diamond, "then I guess we'll be the first, huh?" He smiled as he tossed the diamond up and caught it.

"No," Lupin said, standing and walking over to the window. Jigen turned and looked at him. "There is no treasure." They both looked at the door as it opened, Goemon and Fujiko walking in.

"Wait, what did you say? I don't get it," Jigen said, looking back at Lupin.

"Don't get what?" asked Goemon as he sat at the table.

"No one ever found anything. And all of them died trying. My grandpa just barely escaped death."

"So, that's it? You're just gonna give up?" Jigen slammed the diamond on the table. "You have us steal the damn thing and now you just want to forget about it?"

"He wanted you to steal it. That's why there wasn't any security." The tone of Lupin's voice was serious as he spoke. He turned away from the window and looked at the three as they stood staring at him. "Zenigata thought I would be there to steal it. That was why he was there. But you two came in at 11:45, fifteen minutes before I would've come."

"We caught him off guard," said Goemon.

"So, if this treasure doesn't exist, then why did that guy want you to steal it?" Fujiko asked.

"Because," Jigen replied, staring at Lupin, "it does exist. You just don't want to risk your life to get it."

"Don't be ridiculous, Jigen. Like Lupin would never back out of a challenge." Fujiko smiled at Lupin, who looked at her and forced a smile.

"Face it, Fujiko. He's just scared," Jigen said to her. "Right, Goemon?" he said, looking down at Goemon.

"A true warrior never runs from battle," answered Goemon.

"Huh?" Lupin said as he looked at the three, standing and grinning at him. He shook his head and laughed. "What the hell? Yeah, like I would ever turn down a challenge. Come on, guys. Don't insult me like that."

"Uh huh. Sure, Lupin. Whatever you say." Jigen walked over and sat on the couch.

"So, where are we going?" asked Fujiko as she walked over and put her arms around Lupin. He looked at her and smiled.

"There's a guy in Egypt. He used to travel with my grandpa. He should know something."

"Well," said Fujiko as she stared in Lupin's eyes. "Let's go to Egypt."

"Right." Lupin smiled and nodded.

------------

Kris and Zenigata got out of the car in the station parking lot. "Ooh, how lucky we are to back," Kris said sarcastically, a big grin on her face. Zenigata looked over at her and shook his head, walking towards the side entrance of the station. "What?" she asked as she jogged to catch up to him.

"It's not funny, that's what." His face remained serious as he opened the door for Kris. She entered and he followed. "We screwed up. And now the chief's gonna be pissed as well as the whole damn Chinese mob."

"Who cares? Hey, life's short anyway. Right?" She smiled at the other officers as they passed and made their way to the main part of the building. Kris followed Zenigata into his office.

Zenigata took off his hat and jacket, throwing them on his desk where an envelope lay. "Dammit," he said as he picked up the envelope and opened it, pulling the papers out halfway and skimming over the exposed print.

Kris stood and watched, wondering what the papers said. "Is it something bad?" she asked, looking at him in concern.

"No, it's fine," he replied as he shoved the papers back in and put the envelope in his desk drawer. "You want to fill out the report?" He looked at her and handed her some papers.

"Do I have a choice?"

"No. Have fun." He walked over and layed on the couch and closed his eyes.

Kris sat down at his desk and started to fill out the paperwork. "It makes life more interesting, if you think about it."

"Huh?" he said as he looked over at her.

"This whole thing. You know, the diamond, the mob, being one step closer to losing your job." She looked at him and smiled.

"Just work on the report," he told her as he closed his eyes again.

"Yeah, sure." She sat silently, filling out all the requirements. She looked up as the door opened quickly, almost forcefully.

The police chief stood in the doorway, looking very irate as he glanced at Kris and then down at Zenigata. "I need to see both of you now," he said, his voice gruff and stern.

"Right away, sir." Zenigata stood up and started out the door. "Come on," he said as he looked back at Kris, who was still working on the report.

"Yeah, hold on a sec," she replied as she wrote quickly, trying to finish. "There," she said, tossing the pen on the desk and holding up the report, staring at it proudly.

"You done?" Zenigata asked her as he stood and waited.

"Yup." She stood up and walked with him to the chief's office. They stepped inside and stood, staring down at him as he talked on the phone.

"Yes, I understand," he said to the person on the phone. "I will call you once we get some information on it's whereabouts." He paused as he listened. "Yes, thank you, sir." He sighed as he hung up the phone and then looked up at Zenigata and Kris.

"Here's our report, sir," said Kris as she handed the papers over the desk.

The chief grabbed them, tossing them on the desk and glaring at the two.

Kris stepped back from his desk, indifferent to the chiefs behavior. "You don't have to read it now. That's cool," she said as she shrugged.

"Shut up!" the chief shouted at her. "I give you one simple job. One tiny little minuscule task and still you fail." He turned his attention to Zenigata as Kris stood and listened. "You think for once you could do something right."

"Don't you think you're being a little too hard on us?" Kris asked, trying not to yell as her anger grew. "We go all the way over there, do everything by the book and this is what we get?"

The chief turned his head slightly towards her. "When you fail, yes." He turned his attention back at Zenigata. "And don't think because you failed that this job is over. I expect you to get Mr. Reynold's diamond back and return it to him. This is your last chance, inspector. Fail this job and I'll have your badge. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," Zenigata said as he stood at attention.

"You two can go now," the chief said sternly as he turned his back on them.

The two looked at each other and walked out, back to Zenigata's office.

------------

Lupin, Jigen and Goemon stood in front of a jeep out in the middle of the desert and stared at an old house.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" asked Jigen as he looked around.

"Uh huh. Come on," Lupin said as he walked up to the door and knocked on it.

The door opened, an old man standing in the door frame. Wearing a long white robe and a black turban, he stared at the three standing outside. "Yes? Can I ..." he trailed off, realizing who stood in front of him. "Lupin?" He laughed and shook Lupin's hand. "Please, come in."

"Thanks Nasser," he said as he entered. "These are my friends, Jigen and Goemon." They looked at him and nodded.

Nasser smiled and nodded back. "It's nice to meet you. What brings you here, Lupin?"

"This," Lupin said as he tossed the diamond to him. "What can you tell us about it?"

"Well," Nasser said as he examined the diamond. "I see...interesting."

"Yes? What is it?" Lupin looked at the diamond curiously.

"Pavlo's twin brother, you might say," Nasser said as he looked up at them.

"What? What the hell is that supposed to mean?" asked Jigen.

"Pavlo made two diamonds. One to guard his treasure and the other to guard the key to the treasure." Nasser sat down at a small rectangular table that was covered in various books.

"But I thought Pavlo's diamond was the key to the treasure. What gives?" asked Lupin as he sat at the table, looking at Nasser as he flipped through an old book.

"This," he said, pointing to a picture in the book. They all looked down at it. "This diamond protects it's twin, Pavlo's diamond."

"Aw crap. You mean there's another one?" Lupin sighed as he rubbed his eyes.

"Your father was smart enough to not pursue this. You should, too."

"Yeah, and look where it got him." Lupin stared down at the diamond. "Look, just tell me where the key is, alright?"

"I was with your grandfather on that day," Nasser said as he closed his eyes and bowed his head. "I saw many smart men die that day. All of them seduced by this diamond." He paused and looked up at Lupin. "If you wish to suffer like they did, then I will tell you."

"Tell me and I promise I won't die, okay?" Lupin looked at the man and smiled.

"If that is what you want." Nasser stood up and walked to a small bookcase crammed with books. He bent down and pulled one out, blowing the dust off of it. "Your answer lies here," he said as he sat down and set the book on the table. "There is an ancient map in the museum in Cairo. Once you obtain it, use this book to decipher the writing hidden beneath the map."

"And how do we find this hidden writing?" asked Jigen as he stared at a scroll hanging on the wall.

"The book will help you. That is all I will say." With that, he sat silent.

"Yeah. Hey, thanks." Lupin stood up and walked towards the door. "And I won't break that promise, so don't worry about me." He smiled at Nasser and he, Jigen and Goemon left the small house.

"He seemed upset," said Goemon as they walked back to the jeep.

"Yeah. What's the deal with you two?" Jigen asked Lupin.

"Our families go way back. When my grandpa searched for Pavlo's diamond and the treasure, he asked Nasser to help. After the whole 'everybody getting killed' thing, my grandpa made him promise never to tell my father or me about it." Lupin started the jeep and drove away from the house.

"It is unwise to break a promise to one who has passed on," replied Goemon as he sat in the back seat.

"Yeah, but I'm sure my grandpa will understand." Lupin stared off at the horizon as he drove farther away from Nasser's house.

------------

Nasser stood in his doorway and waved as the three drove off, the wind swept sand making the jeep barely visible. He smiled and closed the door. "They're gone," he said in a low voice, almost a sigh.

Three men came out of the back room, all of them in black suits and ties, their black hair combed back and tied in ponytails. Nasser looked as they walked up to him.

"Good job, old man," said one of the men as he shoved Nasser into a chair. "You did good."

"So, you'll leave me alone?" asked Nasser as he sat, frightened, in the chair.

The men looked at him, their faces expressionless.

"Yeah, well leave you alone," the leader of the three answered. He looked at the other two and nodded towards the door. "Come on. Let's get out of this shit-hole."

They turned and headed for the door. The two other men went before the leader and left.

The leader started out, stopped and grinned as he looked at Nasser. "You've lived beyond your time, old man," he said as he pulled out his gun and fired, shooting Nasser in the head.

Nasser's body fell limp on the floor, the blood rushing from the gunshot wound.

The leader smirked, reholstered his gun and left.

------------

Back at the hotel, Lupin and Fujiko layed together in bed, both on their sides with Lupin's stomach against Fujiko's back. Lupin ran one hand through her hair while the other was wrapped around her waist. He closed his eyes and smiled, taking in every moment of them being together. His moment was soon broken as the door opened and Goemon walked in.

"Dammit, Goemon", Lupin said, still startled from the sudden noise. "Knock next time. That or cut the damn door down. Something a little less noisy."

"Yeah." Goemon stood and stared down at Lupin, not caring about his problem. "The police found your friend Nasser dead a few hours ago."

"Huh?!" Lupin sat up, shocked from what he heard. "What do you mean? Are you sure? Maybe they made a mistake."

"A single gunshot to the head. It seems someone called the police and notified them of the murder. They wanted you to know."

"They? They who?" asked Lupin, getting more upset about the situation.

"A little organization by the name of The Black Dragons."

"Little? Crap!" Lupin rubbed his eyes and looked up at Goemon. "How can you be so calm? Nevermind. I forgot who I was asking."

"Are you sure about this, Goemon?" Fujiko asked.

Goemon was quiet as he stared at the other bed, Jigen's hat and jacket laying on it.

"Goemon?" She turned and looked at the bed.

"Where's Jigen?" Goemon asked as he walked over to the bed.

"In the shower," Lupin replied as he sat and watched Goemon. "Hey, what are up to?"

"Nothing," said Goemon as he picked up Jigen's hat and stared down at it. "He's so attached to this you would think he'd wear it in the shower."

"Um, Goemon..." Lupin said as he stood up and inched closer to Goemon. "I don't think you should mess with that." He reached out, trying to snatch the hat away, but Goemon stepped away from Lupin and grinned.

"Why? He's not here." He smiled and he put the hat on, Lupin and Fujiko watching in complete shock. "So? How do I look?"

"That's not such a good idea....." Fujiko said as she watched, finally laughing.

"Huh?" Lupin looked over at Fujiko, who was laughing uncontrollably. "Come on, Fujiko. He's gonna hear you," he said in a hushed voice.

"Hey! Nobody laughs at me! Who in the hell do you think you are?" Goemon spoke in his best Jigen impression as he pulled the hat down over his eyes.

Lupin looked on, trying hard not to laugh.

As Goemon spoke, he made over-exaggerated arm movements. "Hey, I thought you were my best friend, man. Why the hell are you laughing at me, huh?"

Lupin looked on until he couldn't control himself any longer and burst out in laughter.

"What the hell, man? What is wrong with you? This isn't funny!" He crossed his arms and stood staring down at them. "Alright, fine, that's it. I say we settle this over a game of darts. And then you'll see who the real man is."

Lupin and Fujiko layed on the beds, holding their stomaches as they laughed.

"I can drink more beer than any of you," Goemon continued, speaking in a loud angry voice. He looked at Lupin and Fujiko and started to laugh with them.

They stopped laughing abruptly as they heard the sounds of someone clapping, all of them looking up towards the bathroom.

Jigen leaned against the door frame and stopped clapping. "Yeah, that was great." Jigen glared at all of them and then stared at Goemon.

"Um, Jigen, hi." Goemon smiled as Jigen glared at him.

Lupin and Fujiko remained silent as they stared at Jigen.

Jigen snatched his hat from Goemon's head. "So, that's all I am to you, huh? A big joke?" He stood silent and glared at Goemon, waiting for an answer.

Lupin jumped off the bed and ran over to the two. "Jigen, look, that's not it all. We were just -"

"Shut up, Lupin!" Jigen yelled as he shoved Lupin out of the way.

Goemon looked at Jigen and smirked. "Yeah, that's all you are to me, Jigen. You are only here for us to laugh at."

Jigen continued to glare at Goemon. "Oh, so now you're making me look stupid." He laughed in disbelief while shaking his head, taking a couple steps back before reaching behind him and pulling out his gun, pointing it at Goemon's face.

"Holy shit!" exclaimed Lupin as he stepped up. "Jigen! What the hell are you doing?" He looked at Jigen and then at Goemon. "Come on, guys," he pleaded.

Fujiko looked on, shocked at Jigen's reactions. "Come on, Jigen. We didn't mean anything by it." She got up and stood behind Lupin.

Jigen glanced at Lupin and stepped back. He put his gun away and grabbed his jacket off the bed. "Don't fuck around with me, Goemon. Next time you pull this bullshit, you won't be so lucky." Jigen walked past him and out the door, slamming it on his way out.

Lupin looked at Fujiko and then they both looked at Goemon, who stood staring at the door.

------------

Zenigata pulled his car up to the curb, parking it in front of his house. As he pulled the keys from the ignition Kris opened her door and got out, waiting to follow Zenigata up to the front door.

"And that's the whole reason?" Kris asked him as they got to the door, continuing the conversation they had started in the car. "Because, if so, it's pretty stupid."

"What else can it be?" he asked her as they entered the house. He took off his coat and hat, hanging them in the closet and then walking to the kitchen. "Do you want something to drink?"

"Sure. Soda, if you got it." She stood in the living room, looking around. "Nice place you got here."

"Thanks." He returned from the kitchen holding two drink cans. "Here you go," he said as he handed Kris her soda. "You don't have to stand, you know." Zenigata sat down and put his feet up on the coffee table.

"Yeah," she said as she sat down. "Doesn't that kind of make you feel like shit, though?"

"Huh?" he said as he looked at her, pausing to think of what she was referring to. "Oh, that. I try not to be bothered by it. It's just that the chief and my father were good friends."

"But that doesn't give him the right to talk to you like you're dirt. And I understand he's your superior and all, but -"

"Can we just drop the subject?" he asked her. The fact that he cut her off told her it was deeper than she had thought.

"Yeah, okay. So," she said, pausing as she looked over the case documents. "I don't get it." She tossed the files on the table and sat back, staring down at them. "It's like we're chasing some damn bedtime story. It's ridiculous."

"Do you think it's true?" Zenigata asked her. "Do you think the answer is in all the legends and poems written about Pavlo?"

"It'd be pretty ironic. All these years, people ignoring them, pushing them aside as just myth's and make-believe." She sat and laughed. "I mean, we've all heard the stories growing up. I never believed them."

"Me neither." They both sat and stared off, their minds deep in thought. "Why were you sent here?" Zenigata asked as he looked over at her.

"I screwed up on my last job."

"What'd you do?"

"We caught a guy who had planted a bomb in the city. He wouldn't tell us where it was so I threatened to shoot him if he didn't."

"And you shot him?"

"Just in the foot. He told us the location, though, and we were able to go disarm it. And then the scumbags lawyer didn't like how we treated him and sued the department. The asshole ended up 2 million dollars richer."

"Huh? But, he's a criminal. That's ridiculous."

"Yeah, but that's how the system works," Kris replied with a sigh. "So, my captain put me on this case, told me to solve it, and sent me on my way." She looked over at him and shrugged. "And here I am. So, how'd you get stuck working with me?"

"The chief didn't like the way I was handling the Lupin case, so he took me off it and has been giving me crappy jobs ever since. And to make it worse, he replaced me with Inspector Ashida"

"Who's he?"

"His father used to be one of the best inspectors at Interpol. Everyone believes that he will surpass his father's success." He looked down and sighed. The phone rang, both of them looking up at it as it did. "See if you can find anything while I answer the phone, okay?"

"Yeah, sure." Kris picked up some of the papers and went over them. She looked up briefly, noticing Zenigata's anger as he talked on the phone. She looked down and sighed, continuing to go over the papers.

------------

Lupin and Goemon stood in a storage room inside the Cairo museum putting on guard uniforms. Lupin looked down and grinned at the two guards laying unconscious on the floor and then looked up at Goemon. "You ready?" he asked.

"Yeah, let's go," replied Goemon as the two left the room and walked down the hall, passing glass cases containing ancient pottery and baskets. Goemon glanced at the items as they walked by. "Do you know where the map is?"

"Yeah, it's in this room up ahead." Lupin looked around, noting the positions of the other guards. He looked at Goemon and started to laugh. "Jigen got kind of pissed off at you, didn't he? The way he stormed out of the room, I haven't seen him that mad in a long time."

"Yeah, I'm sure he's already heading back to Tokyo by now." Goemon continued to look at the display cases as they passed.

"He's probably in some bar getting drunk. I'm sure by tomorrow he will have forgotten the whole thing."

"Somehow, I doubt that." Goemon looked up and into the room ahead of them. A small group of people stood around, gazing at the different artifacts. "Is that it?" he asked Lupin.

"Yeah. Now to get all these people out and grab the map," he said as he looked around the room. Finding the clock on the wall, he noticed it was almost time for the museum to close. "Mm hmm," he said as he nodded his head and looked at Goemon. "Attention everyone. The museum is closing shortly. Would you please make your way to the front lobby?"

The small group looked at him and nodded and smiled as they started slowly out of the room. Goemon and Lupin stood, waiting patiently for everyone to leave.

Once the room was clear they both walked up to the glass case containing the old, faded map. Lupin nodded at Goemon, who pulled out his sword and quickly swiped at the case, causing the top to slide off. Lupin grabbed the piece of glass before it hit the floor and sighed a breath of relief as Goemon grabbed the map.

"Come on! Hurry up!" voices yelled from the hallway as the sounds of people running became louder.

"Damn it!" Lupin said as he turned to see a small group of five guards standing in front of them.

"Put your hands up, Lupin!" one of the guards yelled as he pointed his gun at him. The other guards followed, drawing their guns as Lupin and Goemon stood there, trying to figure a way out.

"So, you thought you could get away," a man said as he made his way in front of the guards. The man, in a buttoned up black trench coat and black pants, stood with a smug look on his face. His hair was slicked back, the lights glaring off of it from the gel. He walked up closer to the two, the look on his face becoming more smug. "Well, that wasn't so hard. You don't use your head much, do you Lupin."

"Huh?" Lupin said as he stared at the man. "You obviously don't know me too well, mister whoever the hell you are."

"Inspector Noboru Ashida of the Tokyo police," said the man as he grinned at Lupin.

"Ooh, an inspector from the Tokyo police force. Wow. Your parents must be so proud of you." Lupin folded his arms and smirked at Ashida.

"Yeah and they'll be even more proud when I arrest you," Ashida said as he took a step closer to Lupin.

"I hate to interrupt your conversation, Lupin, but don't we have something to do?" Goemon asked as he stared at Ashida.

"Don't try anything," Ashida said to Goemon as he pointed the gun at him. "Just hand over the map." He started to feel intimidated as Goemon stared at him. This feeling led him to fire his gun.

Goemon pulled out his sword and quickly sliced the bullet in half. "Let's go," he said as he ran towards the guards, slicing their guns in pieces and knocking them out.

Lupin followed, stopping to look down at an unconscious Ashida. He stared at his face and then shrugged, looking up and following Goemon, who sliced a hole through the wall and ran out of the museum. Outside, they jumped into a car and drove off, leaving a group of guards to give chase and fire at them. The guards stopped as the car got farther away, the dust kicked up from the tires obscuring it from view.

------------

Back at the hotel, Goemon and Fujiko sat at the table and stared down at the map. Lupin stood, his mind deep in thought as he stared out the window. Goemon and Fujiko looked up from the map and up at him.

"Something wrong?" Fujiko asked as she stood up and started to walk over to him.

"Huh?" asked Lupin, his mind broken from thought by the touch of Fujiko's hand on his arm. He turned and smiled at her, setting his hands on her shoulders. "It's nothing. I'm fine," he said as he smiled and kissed her on the forehead. He walked past her and to the table, standing next to Goemon and staring down at the map. "Figured it out yet?"

"Nasser said the book would help us, right?" asked Goemon as he looked up at Lupin.

"Yeah? Why?"

"Well, I'm gonna need it if you want to find the treasure," Goemon replied as he stared at Lupin.

"Oh, yeah." Lupin laughed as he walked over to the closet and grabbed the book. He stared at the cover as he walked back to Goemon and handed it to him. "Are you gonna be able to read this?" he asked as he and Goemon stared down at the small hand printed text covering the yellowed pages.

Goemon stared down at the writing. "Do you understand it?" he asked hesitantly. He looked up at Lupin, who shook his head as he stared at the pages, a blank expression on his face.

"Great. So, neither of you know what you're doing," said Fujiko as she walked over to them and looked at the book.

"I don't see you helping any," Goemon said as he glared at her. She looked at him and stuck her tongue out. Goemon sighed and rolled his eyes.

"No worries," said Lupin as he closed the book. "I know this guy who lives outside of Tokyo. He's an expert at this sort of thing. He'll figure it out." He smiled and nodded at Goemon and Fujiko as they looked down at the book.

"So," Fujiko said as she ran her index finger up and down Lupin's arm, "we're leaving tomorrow, then?"

"Yeah, in the morning. There's a flight leaving at 7:30." Lupin smiled romantically at Fujiko as he took hold of her hands and pulled her close to him.

"And what about Jigen? We don't even know where he is," Goemon said. He looked up and saw Lupin and Fujiko kissing each other passionately. "Yeah, well, I guess I'll leave you two alone." He stood up and walked to the door, opening it and taking one last look before he left. He sighed and rolled his eyes as Lupin pushed Fujiko on the bed and jumped on top of her.


	3. Chapter 3

Meh. Just, meh. Cop chick is all over personality wise. The "Seaweed isn't a fish" thing was actually a true story. It was, I was there. :o Hideous and disgusting sushi was shown on TV or somewhere and I mentioned disgusting fishy crap and my mom said that it had no fish and that it was wrapped in seaweed. I said it was the same thing and it was gross. Why I remember that from that long ago I have no idea. I can't even remember what I had for breakfast yesterday. :/

* * *

**Chapter Three - Dragon Clan  
**

The sun had started to rise, filling the small bedroom with light. Kris grumbled as she pulled the blankets over her head, hoping to get a few more hours of sleep before the alarm went off. She nestled her head in the pillow and dozed off.

It seemed like no time at all before the alarm started to buzz. Kris, startled from a good dream, sat up and turned the alarm off. She rubbed her eyes and looked around, sighing as she got out of bed and got her clothes ready.

Zenigata stood in the kitchen, cooking breakfast. He turned and looked at Kris as she walked in. "Sleep good?" he asked as she opened the fridge and pulled out a soda.

"Yeah, I guess." She walked to the table and sat down, opening the can and taking a drink. "Smells good. What is it?"

"Breakfast," he answered as he continued to cook.

"There better not be fish involved," she said seriously as she picked up the paper and looked at it. "Because if you throw some kind of squid or seaweed crap in there and then tell me there's nothing fishy in it-"

"There's absolutely no fish in this food, Kris." He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "And seaweed isn't a fish."

"Whatever." She continued to look over the paper until an article caught her attention. "Hey, who was that guy who replaced you?"

"You mean Inspector Ashida?" Zenigata answered as he put the plates of food on the table.

"Yeah," she said, peeking slowly at the plate. "Eggs and bacon?" She looked up at him and grinned. "No fish?" She smiled, seeing she was overdoing the fish thing. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'll stop."

"You haven't yet." He shook his head and started to eat. "So, what about Ashida?"

"Oh, yeah," she said, realizing she got off the subject. "It says that he was, according to him, "viciously attacked" by Lupin in the Cairo museum while trying to stop him from taking the map of Thebes." Kris handed him the paper.

"What?" He took the paper and read the article. "Why the hell would he take a map of Thebes?"

"What's even better is that Ashida, the one who bragged about catching Lupin, failed." She looked at him and grinned. "I guess he's not gonna live up to his father's expectations after all." She went back to eating when the phone rang.

Zenigata got up and answered it. "Yeah?" he asked. He stood and listened. "Okay, we'll be right there." He hung up the phone and went back to the table.

Kris looked up at him, waiting for him to tell her what it was about.

"They caught some guy and want us there to question him."

"Alright. Sounds promising, I guess." She finished eating and got up, putting on her jacket and following Zenigata out the door.

------------

As they arrived outside the station they were met by one of the officers.

"So, who is this guy?" Zenigata asked the man as they walked to the front entrance.

The officer walked in front and led them to the interrogation room, as if neither Zenigata or Kris knew where it was. "He's one of the members of the Black Dragon clan. We caught him trying to smuggle weapons into the country." The officer spoke with a sort of excitement in his voice. "And since they are also involved in your case, we -"

"Yeah, that's great," Kris interrupted. "Good job." She turned and stared at him. "Well, actually, you shouldn't be congratulated. I mean, it is your job, right?" And with that she opened the door and entered the room.

The room was small, containing a rectangular table and four chairs. A tiny window was placed near the top of the room and a video camera hung from the the far corner.

Kris glanced up at the camera and shook her head, showing her disapproval for it, and then turned to the man handcuffed to the table.

His hair was combed back into a ponytail and a single silver loop hung in his left earlobe. He wore an expensive suit, which made him look smart.

'Too smart to be caught smuggling weapons,' Kris thought as she pulled up a chair and sat down.

Zenigata entered the room and leaned against the back wall. He stared down at the man, who stared back.

"So, you think you got something on me?" the man asked.

"Quit the bullshit," Kris replied. "You were caught with a cache of weapons. There are a lot people who saw the whole thing go down that would be glad to testify."

"You're wrong," the man scoffed. "They're all too scared. They talk, they die." He sat back and smiled at the two.

"Okay," Kris sighed. "Your turn." She crossed her arms and leaned back in the chair.

Zenigata stepped up and placed his hands on the table, leaning down and staring at the man. "Who were the weapons for?" he asked.

The man sat and smirked.

"Okay, in what manner were the weapons to be used for?"

The man continued to smirk at him.

"Fucking A, man!" Kris shouted at the man. "Answer him or I'll stick my foot up -"

"Kris!" Zenigata yelled, cutting her off and glancing at the camera.

The man sat back and laughed. "What's the matter? Afraid of the camera?" He continued to laugh.

"I can very easily rip that thing out and do what I wish, you fucking prick," Kris said to the man, her voice low.

"Who do you work for?" Zenigata asked, continuing the interrogation.

"And why should I answer you?" The man turned his head towards Zenigata and then back at Kris. "I was just an innocent bystander. Those weapons were planted. My lawyer will tell everyone so. This is racism."

"Racism? What the hell are you talking about?" Kris' anger was starting to run high. "Look, you know what? I really don't give a shit. Just answer his goddamn questions."

"What is this? Good cop, bad cop?" the man asked as he smiled and shook his head.

Just then the door opened and a cop stuck his head inside the room. "Inspector, you have an important phone call," he said, looking at Zenigata.

"Yeah, alright." Zenigata started out the door, somewhat glad that he could escape, but somewhat dreading the phone call.

"Well," the man said. "Now that daddy is gone, why don't we play around a bit." He looked at Kris and smiled suggestively.

"Okay," Kris said to him as she grinned. She stood up and started towards him, grabbing the chair sitting besides him and throwing it at the camera, breaking it. The camera fell to the floor as Kris walked to the door and locked it. "Now, what were you saying?" she asked the man, who sat and stared at her in shock.

"What the...what the hell?!" the man yelled. "You crazy bitch! Get the hell away from me!" He backed away and yanked his hands from the table, trying to break the cuffs free.

"So, are you gonna tell me what you were planning to do with the weapons or not?" Kris asked as she grabbed a chair and walked closer to him.

"Hey! What are you...get me out of here." The mans voice started to crack as he still struggled to get free.

Kris stared down at the cuffs connected to the table and swung the chair down on them, shattering the chair and breaking the man free.

The man, still in shock, brushed the cuffs off his wrists as he backed away.

"You're free. Do what you want." Kris held her arms out inviting the man to attack her.

"Stupid bitch," the man said as he smirked and started to walk towards her. The sounds of pounding filled the room as officers tried to get in. He reached inside of his jacket and pulled out a knife, swinging it at Kris and hitting her arm.

"Shit!" she yelled as she grabbed her bleeding arm. "That's it!" She stood, facing him as he came at her again with the knife. She dodged the attack, grabbing him and thrusting her knee into his stomach.

He fell to his hands and knees, gasping for air. Kris stepped on his hand, which was still holding the knife, as hard as she could.

He screamed as his bones started to break. "Alright! Alright!" he shouted.

Kris took her foot of his hand and stared down at him.

"The museum. They were for the museum."

"Which museum?"

"The one opening in Kyoto. The boss said he wanted the weapons placed in the back dumpster. That's all I know." The man sat and held his hand. His face showed he was still in considerable pain.

"Well, then I guess that's it," Kris said, satisfied. She turned to walk out when the door burst open and a small group of cops stared at her. She smiled and walked past them as they looked inside the room.

------------

Lupin walked alongside Fujiko, his arm wrapped around her shoulders, as they walked down the hallway of an apartment building. Goemon followed closely behind. Reaching the door, Lupin pulled out the key and unlocked it. They all entered, surprised to see Jigen sitting on the couch.

"It's about damn time you got here," he said as he stared at them.

"Jigen," Lupin said, relieved and somewhat glad to see him. "When did you get here?"

"Late last night. What took you so long?" He stood up and walked over to them, ignoring both Fujiko and Goemon.

"Um, well," Lupin started, feeling a little uncomfortable. "We took the early morning flight. Right guys?" He looked back at Fujiko and Goemon, who had both gone to the kitchen and were talking. "Uh, yeah..." He looked back at Jigen and smiled and shrugged.

"Yeah, I read about the museum robbery." He grinned at Lupin. "Nice going. You should draw some more attention to yourself next time."

"Ha ha, very funny," Lupin answered, unamused by Jigen's comments.

"Who's this Ashida guy? Where does he come in?"

Lupin shrugged. "Who knows. I just met him yesterday. Never heard of him before."

"You mean Zenigata wasn't there?"

"No. Just Ashida and a bunch of cops." Lupin paused as he thought about something. "You said he was there at the auction, right?"

Jigen looked at him, confused by the question. "Yeah. What are you getting at?"

"I don't know, but I hope I'm wrong." He walked over and picked the phone up.

"What the hell are you talking about?" asked Jigen as Lupin dialed a number.

"Someone killed Nasser after we left and I was just...yeah?" he asked as the other line was answered. "Um, yeah, is Inspector Zenigata there?" He looked over at Jigen and shrugged. "Oh, okay. Thank you." He hung up the phone, feeling a little better than before.

"Are you gonna let me in on what's going on or what?" Jigen asked, getting a little frustrated.

"Goemon had heard that the Black Dragons killed Nasser sometime after we left. So, this Reynold's guy must be pretty serious."

"And calling Zenigata?"

"I thought that maybe they had got him, too. He was at the mansion." Lupin sighed as he glanced over at Goemon and Fujiko. "They said he was busy with something, though."

"So? Did the map help any?" Jigen asked as he pulled out a cigarette and lit it.

"No. Nobody could understand the book." Lupin walked over and sat on the couch. "You remember that guy? The one we went to for that secret code crap?"

"You mean Hiro? What about him?"

"You think he'll be able to figure this out?"

"I don't see why not." Jigen stood staring at Lupin.

"I guess I'll just call this guy, then." He stood up and started towards the phone, stopping and quickly pulling out his gun while looking at the door.

"Huh?" asked Jigen as he did the same.

Suddenly shots were fired, piercing the door and walls of the apartment. Jigen, running to take cover, was hit and fell to the floor. Goemon ran out, standing in front of him and deflecting the bullets with his sword.

Lupin dove behind the couch and returned fire. He looked over at Fujiko, who was ducked down in the kitchen. "Shit!" he exclaimed as he saw Jigen on the floor.

"Get him out of here!" Goemon yelled to Lupin as he continued to deflect bullets.

"Yeah," replied Lupin as he ducked and ran towards Jigen. As he got near him the door was forced open, a man with an AK-47 standing in front of it. Lupin lifted up his gun and shot the man, who staggered back, but soon regained himself and began to fire his gun.

Goemon ran forward, deflecting the bullets as he got closer to the man. He yelled as he brought his sword up, slicing off the mans hands and then cutting through his chest as he brought the sword back down. The man fell as Goemon ran outside and checked the hallway.

Lupin knelt down by Jigen and checked his wound. He looked down and started to laugh.

Fujiko, putting her gun away, looked on in confusion as she walked up to him. "Is it that bad?" she asked, looking down at Jigen, a worried look on her face.

"It's just his shoulder," Lupin said as he grinned at Jigen. "You can get up now, dumbass." He nudged Jigen and stood up, looking at Goemon as he entered the room.

"They left this," Goemon said calmly as he handed Lupin a note. "Is he alright?" he asked, looking down at Jigen.

"Yeah, he's just faking it." Lupin looked down and read the note.

"It still hurts like hell," Jigen replied as he sat up, holding his shoulder.

Fujiko stood behind Lupin. "What does it say?" she asked of the note.

Lupin finished reading the note and looked up, his expression both shocked and angered. The others looked at him, waiting for his answer. Outside, police sirens rang out and echoed through the air. Lupin ran to the window and looked down. "Shit!" he said as he turned and walked towards the door. "Come on. Let's get out of here." He stepped over the gunman's body in the doorway. The others looked at one another and then followed him out of the apartment.

------------

Zenigata sat at his desk, his arms crossed as he glared off into space. Kris, in her tank top, was half asleep on his couch, her right bicep in bandages. He glanced over at her, sighing in anger as he shook his head slightly.

"You still pissed?" Kris mumbled.

"No, I'm fine," he answered angrily and sarcastically. "Having my partner almost stabbed to death by some psychotic fuck happens all the time."

"Really? You must be cursed." Kris sat up and laughed, still groggy from the pain medication she had received earlier.

Zenigata looked at her and shook his head. He glanced at the phone as it rang, picking it up. "Yeah." He sat silent as the person on the other line spoke. "Okay, we'll be right there." He hung up the phone and stood up, looking down at Kris. "You feeling alright enough to leave?"

"I guess," she answered with a smile. "Where are we going?"

"An apartment building on the east side. Some gunmen attacked it and then fled." He grabbed his coat and hat and walked to the door.

"Sounds nice." Kris stood up and started to follow him when he turned and looked at her.

"You're going like that?"

Kris shrugged. "All of my stuff is at your house."

Zenigata sighed. "Fine. Let's just go."

------------

They drove up to the apartment building, the area blocked off and surrounded in cop cars. Zenigata parked the car and they got out. Walking up to the entrance, they were stopped by another officer.

"The captain is waiting for you inside," the officer told Zenigata.

"Alright. Thanks." Zenigata walked past the officer and into the building, making his way up the stairs and down the long hallway.

"Charming place," remarked Kris sarcastically as they walked up to the door. She looked down at the covered body in the doorway and knelt down by it.

"You wanted to see me?" Zenigata asked the captain, standing inside the apartment.

Kris looked at them as they talked and then turned her attention back at the man. She lifted up the cover and looked at his face.

"Pretty ugly guy, huh?" an officer said to her.

She looked up at him and grinned. "Yeah. So, what happened?"

"Witnesses said there was gunfire and then they saw four people run out of the apartment. Some are still too scared to talk." The officer kneeled down next to her. "We found him laying here, his hands cut off and his chest sliced open."

"God," replied Kris in disgust. "He sure pissed somebody off." Noticing a tattoo on the guys arm, she carefully lifted up his sleeve and examined it. "Shit," she said, pulling the sleeve back down.

"Something wrong?" the officer asked her.

"Yeah. I've got nothing." She shrugged and smiled at the officer and then stood up and walked over to Zenigata. "Got anything?" she asked him.

"Enough to know that Lupin was here," he said as he glanced around the room. "Did you figure anything out?"

"Yeah, actually I did. I found out we're in deep shit." She stared seriously at Zenigata as he stared back.

------------

Lupin sat next to Fujiko on the couch in the living room of Hiro's house. Goemon stood next to them as they watched Hiro remove the bullet from Jigen's shoulder.

"So, what is this map? Is it legit?" Hiro asked as he stuck medical pliers in the wound, trying to find the bullet.

"Jesus Christ!" Jigen yelled as the pain grew. "Do you know what the fuck you're doing?"

Hiro ignored him as he pulled out the bullet and looked at it. "I've had two others come to me about maps and they both proved to be counterfeits."

"I'm pretty sure this one is real," Lupin said as he pulled out the old map.

Hiro looked at it with great interest. "The map of Thebes...," he said, trailing off as he walked up to look at it.

"A friend of mine said there was hidden writing and to use this book." Lupin pulled out the old book and handed it to Hiro.

"Yes, I remember something about this." Hiro flipped through the book, stopping at a page and looking at it. "Yeah, I can decipher this in no time," he said proudly.

"Am I supposed to just sit here and bleed to death?" Jigen asked angrily.

"No. The poker is heating up right now," Hiro answered as he stared down at the book.

"The what?" Jigen looked at the others, hoping they could answer his question. They looked at him and shrugged.

"This," Hiro answered as he held up a red hot poker, putting the book down and walking towards Jigen.

"Holy shit!" Jigen said as he stood up and backed away from Hiro. "Are you insane?"

The others looked on, speechless and a little amused by the scenario.

"It won't hurt that bad," Hiro said, reassuring Jigen.

"The hell it won't!" Jigen pulled out his gun and shot the poker out of Hiro's hand.

Hiro walked over, picking up the poker and laughing.

"Huh? What the hell is going on?" Jigen asked, getting angrier.

"It was a joke, my friend," Hiro said with a smile, placing the poker back into the fireplace.

"Friend my ass," remarked Jigen as he sat back down.

"Aw, come on. No hard feeling, right?" Hiro asked Jigen as he began to bandage up the wound.

Jigen sat silently, still a little angry.

"Most people never made it as far as getting the map," Hiro told Lupin as he tied off the bandages and walked to the couch, sitting down and picking the book up again. " I believe your grandfather was the only one. Everyone else just wandered off, never to be seen again."

"Wandered off to where?" Lupin asked him.

"Who knows. Someone went off to Africa. Another went to Australia. One man even went to the Arctic Circle. They were all dreamers. Opportunists looking for quick fortune and fame." Hiro picked up the map and stared closely at it. "Now you, I don't get you. You have both and yet you still want more." He looked up at Lupin and raised his eyebrows.

Lupin shrugged. "This one's more of a curiosity. And besides, I've completed everything else that my grandpa wasn't able to finish."

"And this is the last one." Hiro stared at Lupin and then grinned while shaking his head. "Some things were not meant to be defeated." He looked back at the map and then closed the book, handing it and the map back to Lupin. "It basically tells an old riddle."

"Which would be?" Lupin asked quickly, not letting Hiro finish.

"The king leopard, his rings of diamonds, his cane of gold, sent forth his servants down to Death. The twelve men wandered for many days. After the third, they split in two. On the sixth, they split again. Two went north and two went west. Each became one and found their way, only to be struck down by Deaths eyes."

"Okay, so what is that supposed to mean?" asked Lupin, looking at Hiro with a confused look.

"Who knows. I was never good at these types of things." He shrugged as he walked over to his door. "If the police are looking for you, then I suggest you should leave. It's not wise to stay in one place for too long." Hiro nodded as he opened the door.

"Yeah. Thanks Hiro. I owe you one." Lupin stood up and walked out the door, the others following closely behind.

They all got in the car and sat in silence. Lupin laughed quietly, breaking the calm. "Only to be struck down by Death's eyes." He laughed and shook his head as he put the keys in the ignition and started the car. "Sounds interesting."

"Yeah, interesting," Jigen said, bored, angry and in pain. "But what the hell does it mean?"

"Don't know, but everything so far seems to be connected to Reynold's, so maybe we should look into him." Lupin grinned as he looked back at Jigen and Goemon and then over at Fujiko. He put the car in gear and drove off.


	4. Chapter 4

Zenigata's all "Grr...", but isn't he usually? :D I forget the main point of the character of Kris in this story. Actually, it was mainly to give Zenigata a partner who annoyed him, but one who he eventually started to like. As a friend. Since I'm so original and all. Why does my screen look all crooked? My chair is all weird. But anyway, there was a point to her. I actually like this chapter. I'm rambling. Yay!

* * *

**Chapter Four - The Leopard and Shin  
**

The museum opening in Kyoto drew a large crowd. People lined up and walked past guards to the front entrance. Many rich and esteemed people from all over the world were in attendance. Zenigata and Kris stood out in front of the building, looking up at it. "So, this is the scene of the crime. Or the supposed crime," said Kris calmly.

"This place is surrounded, so I doubt anything will happen." Zenigata walked up the front steps and into the lobby, passing the crowd of people waiting to get in.

Kris caught up with him at the front doors. "I think something is gonna happen. That guy's tattoo was the symbol of the-"

"Red Phoenix. Yeah, I know. You told me that fifty times already." Zenigata turned and glared at her. "Look, you know what to do. So, when we get inside, I suggest that you do it."

"Yes, sir." Kris sighed as she followed him inside.

------------

Inside the lobby, Lupin and Fujiko, both dressed formally, stood watching Zenigata and Kris. Fujiko looked at Lupin. "The Red Phoenix?" she asked him.

"Yeah. It's supposed to be some new underground gang," he answered as he peeked around one of the pillars.

"And why are they getting involved?" Fujiko asked as she looked around.

"Who knows. Maybe they want to displace the Black Dragons." He looked at her and smiled. "We get this item and we'll be that much closer."

"Yeah," she replied as she smiled and stared into his eyes.

"Attention everyone!" a voice hollered. Everyone looked towards the front doors, an older wealthy looking man standing in front of them. "I want to welcome you to the premiere of the Kyoto Museum of History and Art." He opened the doors and stepped to the side as everyone started to file in.

"Wow," Lupin said as he entered and looked around. "Someone spent a lot of money on this." They both made their way through to the central room, a large opening with expensive and rare paintings scattered about. Lupin whistled in amazement as he looked at some of the paintings.

"Hey, look at this," said Fujiko excitedly, looking over a case with a large diamond in it. "Isn't it beautiful?" she asked Lupin, who had walked over to look at it.

"Yeah, it's great. I'll steal it for you later." He grabbed her hand and pulled her aside. "Okay, this is what we're after, right here," he told her as he pointed to it on the brochure.

"Jade leopard pendant?" Confused, she looked up at him. "That's why we're here?"

"No, we're here to get the key to a very large room of treasure." He looked at her and smiled. "So, you remember the plan?"

"Yeah, but what about Zenigata?"

"Eh, I wouldn't worry to much about ol' pops. Just stick to we talked about and we should be fine." He winked at her and then wandered off.

------------

Kris wandered around in one of the rooms, glancing at all the items on display. She made her way into the next room and stopped at a glass case, a small jade pendant in the shape of a leopard inside of it. Bending down and getting a closer look, she examined the small writing carved in the jade. "It's the same as the-"

"Interesting, isn't it," a man said, cutting her from her thought.

Kris turned around and faced the man, middle aged, bearded and wealthy looking. "Uh, yeah, it is." She turned back and stared at the pendant.

"They say it was found in an old ruin in Mongolia. An odd place for something like that, isn't it?" The man stepped up and stood next to her.

"Mongolia? But, this writing isn't-"

"Mongolian? Yeah, like I said, it's an odd place for it." He got closer to the case and stared at it.

"So, was it donated to the museum or just lent?"

He raised up and looked at her. "And why are you so interested in this?"

"Art nerd," Kris replied as she shrugged.

"Yeah, sure," the man said as he stared at her and walked away.

Kris watched the man and then shook her head. "Idiot," she said under her breath. She wandered into the next room, continuing to look at the displayed items.

------------

Lupin walked into the room and glanced down at his watch. "Five more minutes." He looked around, seeing the leopard pendant and wandering over to it. "That's the same writing," he said as he observed it. He continued to stand and look at it as the minutes went by. Glancing down at his watch again, he smiled and looked back up at the case.

Suddenly there was a loud popping sound and all the lights went out in the museum. Gasps and screams of panic echoed throughout the pitch black rooms.

Kris looked up, grabbing her flashlight and her gun. She ran into the room with the pendant, shining the light on the empty case. "Shit!" she yelled in anger as she shone the light around, looking for anybody suspicious. She ran out of the room and into the main hallway, pointing the flashlight down towards the end of it.

A loud buzzing sound echoed the hallway as the lights went back on. The guests looked around, still panicked. Kris looked up and down the hallway and then ran into the main room of the museum. Not seeing anything, she stopped and sighed, knowing she had failed.

"Kris!" Zenigata yelled as he ran towards her. "Did you see anything?" The look on his face was worry and anger.

"Sorry, I couldn't see anybody suspicious. All I know is the pendant is gone."

"Crap!" He looked around at the guests. "All these people were checked when they came into the lobby."

"That doesn't mean shit."

"It had to be Lupin. Security is tight. He still has to be in here somewhere."

"Yeah, so what's the plan?"

"You take the west end and I'll take the east." He looked at her and nodded and then ran off. Kris turned and ran back into the hallway, drawing her gun as she started to check the rooms.

------------

Lupin made his way into one of the back storage rooms. "Fujiko," he whispered as he quietly crept in.

"You get it?" Fujiko asked as she made her way around some of the crates.

"Yeah, here." He handed the pendant to her. "Hold onto it and when you get out meet me at the southern hideout, alright?" He looked at her and the both nodded. "Come on, let's go." He held her hand and they walked out into the hallway together. "Good luck," he told her, leaning over and kissing her lips. He stood and watched as she made her way down the hall and into the crowds of people heading towards the front entrance.

"Lupin!" a voice sounded out behind him.

"Huh?" Lupin turned around, seeing Zenigata running towards him. "Dammit."

"I have you now, Lupin," Zenigata said with a grin. He reached into his pocket and threw his arm out towards Lupin.

Lupin looked down as the handcuffs clasped shut around his wrists. He stood and stared down and them, sighing and rolling his eyes.

"So, where's the pendant?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Lupin answered smartly.

"The one that you just stole. Now where is it?" Zenigata stared at Lupin and got more angrier. "Damn it, Lupin!"

"I don't have it. You can search me if you want." He lifted up his arms and smiled.

"You're nothing but a pain in the ass," Zenigata said as he started to search Lupin. Just then, a succession of loud crashes were heard from the main room. They both looked towards the noise.

"What the hell?" Lupin said as he took the cuffs off and ran down the hall.

"Huh?" Zenigata watched him run and then saw the handcuffs on the floor. "Hey! Wait!" He ran after him.

------------

In the museum lobby the guests started to panic. A group of gunmen, dressed in black body armor and black hoods, ran up to the entrance, firing at the doors and breaking them down. The glass shattered everywhere, hitting some of the guests and injuring them. The gunmen entered the lobby, shouting for everyone to get on the ground. A few of them stayed behind, their guns pointed at the guests, while the rest made their way into the main room.

More gunmen, stationed on the roof, grappled down and broke through the windows in the main room and in the second story hallway, preparing themselves and then scattering throughout the museum.

------------

Lupin ran into a small storage room, pulling out his gun and checking the ammo. Putting the clip back in place, he cracked the door open and peaked out. Seeing that the hall was clear, he snuck out and ran quietly down it. Getting to the end of the hall and to the beginning of another hall, he stopped, peaking around the corner.

At the end of the hall, two gunmen were walking towards where Lupin was. They kept their guns raised, the laser points casting red dots on the floors and walls. Hearing a noise behind him, Lupin looked back. Another gunman was making his way up the hall. "Shit," Lupin exclaimed, looking around for a way out.

The window behind him shattered, the one gunman running towards him and firing. Lupin ducked down and then ran, diving out the window and into the courtyard in the back of the museum. The three gunmen ran to the window and fired, covering the area in bullets and bullet holes.

------------

Kris ran into one of the exhibit rooms, ducking down behind a large marble statue. Reaching in her jacket, she pulled out a clip, reloading her gun. Peaking around the statue, she ran out from behind it, making her way into the next room.

One of the gunmen wandered around, making sure the room was empty. Kris ducked down and hid behind an exhibit case, peering through the glass at the back of the gunman. As he made his way out of the room, Kris snuck past him and out into the hallway. There, she encountered another gunman, this one seeing her.

He shouted at her and fired, just missing her head as she ran out of the way. He ran down the hall, continuing to fire at her. Getting the attention of some of the other gunmen around, they all gave chase.

"This isn't happening. This isn't happening. Shit!" she said in a panic as she ran from them. Seeing the door to the stairway, she ran towards it, flinging it open and taking cover inside. She locked the door, knowing that the gunmen would just shoot it open. "It'll slow them down, at least." She took a deep breath and cautiously made her way up the two flights of stairs.

------------

Zenigata sat on the floor in one of the smaller rooms. His leg, shot from the encounter he just had with the gunmen, was bleeding badly. Taking off his coat, he balled it up and pushed it down on the wound. He grimaced from the pain, his body shaking and going into shock.

"So, there you are," one of the gunmen said as he stood over Zenigata. "Thought you could escape?" The gunman reached down and grabbed him by the arm, pulling him up and forcing him out of the room at gunpoint.

The gunman brought Zenigata to the main room, pushing him down on the floor. He looked up, his vision blurred, and watched as the gunman walked over to another man and talked to him. The other man looked over at him and smirked, nodding his head and dismissing the gunman. Zenigata watched as the man walked towards him. His vision became more and more blurred until he finally passed out. The man knelt down by him and grinned.

"Put him with the others," the man told one of the nearby gunmen.

"Yes, sir," replied the gunman as he dragged Zenigata to the lobby.

------------

Lupin jumped from the tree limb he was standing on into one of the broken windows on the second story. He landed and froze, the impact his feet made on the broken glass causing a loud noise in the otherwise quiet hallway. He pulled out his gun and stood up, running towards the western end of the museum. Seeing the doorway to the stairs, he ran to it, pulling the door open and running inside.

Kris, leaning against the wall next to the door, was startled by the door opening. She remained still and then ran out, grabbing the person from behind.

"Hey!" Lupin yelled as he struggled to get free.

Kris, seeing it wasn't one of the gunmen, pushed him against the wall and let him go. "Lupin," she said in surprise.

"Yeah, who the hell are...," he started and then paused as he looked at her. "Hey, you're that cop from the auction." He looked at her and smirked.

"So, it was you. You the bastard that hit me on the head?" Kris stood and glared at him.

"No, that would be my friend, Goemon," he answered. "Huh?" Lupin looked down the stairs. "Look out!" he yelled as he grabbed Kris and lunged out of the way, pulling her down with him. He covered her head with one arm while his other arm covered his as an explosion ripped through the stairway, sending chunks of cement and metal flying everywhere in the small space.

When the ground stopped shaking and things got calm Lupin looked up, trying to see through the dust. "You okay?" he asked Kris.

"Yeah. Thanks," she said as she sat up and looked at Lupin.

"Yeah, no problem." Lupin stood up and walked over to the door, forcing it open and looking out. "How much do you know about the Black Dragons?" He closed the door and looked at Kris.

"Too much." She stood up and looked at him.

"Is Shin still their leader?"

"Yeah. He's working under a man by the name of Johann Caevis Reynolds."

"So, that's the connection," he said as he stared off in thought.

"Yeah. If I were you I'd be careful. You're already on their shit list."

"And you're not?" He looked at her and grinned. "So, why are you really here? And don't tell me it's because you're working on a case."

Kris looked at him and glared. "I'm sure you already know the answer, so why ask?"

"It just seems strange, that's all." He shrugged as he put his hand on the door knob. "If this is your idea of revenge, it's pretty stupid."

"Maybe you're the stupid one for not getting it."

Lupin laughed. "Nice come back. I'll have to remember that one." He opened the door and looked out. "Well, see you around," he said as he waved and ran out the door.

"Huh? Hey," Kris said as she opened the door to go after him. "What the hell...," she said to herself as she looked down an empty hallway.

------------

Kris crept through the hallway until she was near the area that looked over the main room. She stopped and crawled, peaking around the wall and looking down. She could just see part of the lobby, the guests still on the floor while the gunmen loomed over them. "Shin....," she said to herself as she looked down at the very well dressed man who stood and talked with another well dressed man.

"Don't move," a mans voice, deep and gravely, ordered from behind her.

Kris froze, getting goosebumps as the cold metal from the barrel of the gun was placed on the back of her neck.

"Drop the gun," the man said as he pushed the barrel into her neck.

"Yeah, sure," Kris replied as she dropped her gun on the floor.

"Now, put your hands up and stand. Slowly."

"Sure," Kris said, doing what the man told her. Staring at his reflection in the glass walls of the railing, she waited for a perfect moment to strike.

"Now walk," the man ordered.

Kris walked and then suddenly fell to one knee. "Ow, my ankle," she said in a pained voice. The gunmen, surprised by her reaction, lowered his gun just for a moment. Kris took his mistake to her advantage, thrusting her foot upward and into his chest. Before he had time to recover, Kris rushed at him, grabbing the gun and taking it from him.

The gunman stumbled back and regained his balance. Ready to strike back, he looked up at her only to have the barrel of his gun pointed at his forehead. He stopped quickly.

"Now, you listen to me," Kris said to the man as she smirked. "Huh?" She turned her head, looking down at the first floor and Shin, who had a gun pointed at her. "Fuck!" She dove out of the way as the gun went off, the bullet piercing the wall where she once stood.

The gunman ran and jumped on her, wrestling the gun away and then standing over her. Kris turned and looked at the man, his gun aimed at her chest. He laughed and prepared to pull the trigger.

Kris flinched as a loud gunshot was heard, prepared to feel the pain. Opening her eyes, she was surprised to see herself not wounded. She looked up at the gunman, who was somewhat stunned as he slowly turned around.

Kris jumped up and pounced on the mans back. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she squeezed tightly, leaving the man gasping for air while trying to break free of her grasp. With one swift movement, she jerked her arms back, twisting the mans neck and breaking it.

"Nice going."

Kris looked up, seeing Jigen walking towards her. "Wish I could say the same to you. You could have been killed."

"Not likely," Jigen said as he smiled. He turned around quickly, shooting a man running up the stairs in the head.

"Damn...," Kris said, impressed at his shooting.

"Yeah, come on. We need to get out of here." Jigen looked at her and then ran down the hall.

"We?" Kris wondered as she started to follow him.

------------

Police helicopters flew overhead, shining their spotlights down on the museum. The snipers inside of them held their rifles up, taking aim and ready to fire. As they circled the building, cop cars and armored vehicles sped down the street, screeching to a stop at the front entrance.

Well armored policemen ran out of the vehicles, taking position near the front doors. Four policemen ran ahead of the others, making their way into the lobby.

Three gunmen jumped out of their hiding places and fired at the policemen with machine guns, piercing their armor and killing them. One of the men pulled out a grenade launcher, shooting it outside at the cop cars.

The cops outside ran as the explosion ripped through half a dozen cars, killing some of the men. The ground shook as the cars exploded, spreading debris all around. The cops regrouped and as more reinforcements arrived they began to storm the museum.

------------

Lupin stood in one of the second story offices and peeked out the window.

"So? What's the plan?" Goemon leaned against the wall near the door.

"I don't know yet," Lupin answered, a bit frustrated. He pulled his gun out and turned towards the door as Goemon got his sword ready.

The door flew open, Jigen and Kris running into the room. Kris shut the door and leaned against it, sighing.

"What the hell took you so long? And why is she here?" Lupin asked him angrily.

"I had to fix the plan you fucked up on. And she's here because I brought her." Jigen glared at Lupin.

"I fucked up on? Oh gee, I'm sorry. Like I knew the whole fucking Black Dragon organization was gonna show up!"

"Hey!" Goemon yelled at them. "Could we stop arguing for once and come up with something?"

"I'm with him," Kris said as she pointed at Goemon.

"So, where's the pendant?" Jigen asked.

"I gave it to Fujiko. I figured she could get out with it." Lupin looked out the window. "Why the hell aren't they getting them out of there?"

"Shit! You mean she's in the lobby?" Jigen sighed as he glared at the floor. "Damn it."

"It's too risky to get them out," Kris answered. "They're safer where they are."

Lupin looked at her and laughed in disbelief. "Safer? They're firing machine guns and grenades for God's sake! How can it be safer?"

"It just is, okay?" She glared at Lupin, who glared back.

"Maybe if they didn't hire imbeciles to be policemen," Lupin added, getting in the last word.

Kris shook her head and laughed. "This is stupid. I'm leaving." She turned and started out the door.

"Hey, wait a second," Jigen said.

Kris stopped and looked at him. "Yeah?"

"You almost got yourself killed the last time."

"If you want to come with, you can. But standing around here arguing isn't gonna get a damn thing done." She looked at Jigen and Goemon and then at Lupin, who had his back turned. "Whatever." She left the room and shut the door.

"Stand here all day, if you want. It won't solve anything," Jigen told Lupin as he opened the door and left.

"You gonna leave me, too?" Lupin asked Goemon as he turned and looked at him.

"The police are entering the museum. They'll distract the Black Dragons long enough for us to grab Fujiko and get out of here." Goemon glanced over at Lupin and then walked towards the door.

Lupin nodded and followed.

------------

The police chief stood outside, taking cover behind a row of police cars. Bent over and peeking over the top of one of the cars, he radioed to one of the cops inside. "How many are in the lobby?"

"Around fourty-five, sir," the officer answered.

"We need to get them out now." The chief glanced at the front of the building just as an explosion went off on the second story, blowing out the front windows. "What the hell just happened?"

The other end was answered with static and an occasional audible word.

"Hello? Hello?! Damn it!" The chief hung the radio up and turned towards a few other officers. "You five go and evacuate the lobby."

The officers stood there and stared at him. "But, sir," one of them started to say.

"Now!" the chief screamed.

"Yes, sir," replied the officer as he and the others ran towards the front of the museum.

------------

Kris and Jigen ran through the small adjoining offices that lined the western end of the museum, randomly shooting members of the Black Dragons as they appeared. As they reached the last office and headed towards the door an explosion was set off, knocking both of them back as the blast blew apart the front of the room. Jigen sat up quickly, aiming his gun towards the door.

"You okay?" he asked Kris as he took a quick glance backwards.

"Yeah. You?" she asked as she peeked around the desk near the back of the room.

"I'm great." He stood up and cautiously walked towards the outer hallway. "Come on. Let's go." He ran out and towards the large stairway where he and Kris had met.

Kris followed, looking behind her as she ran. "Where are we going?"

"We're going to the lobby so I can get Fujiko and get the hell out of here." He stopped and leaned against the wall. "And then you're going to get everyone in the lobby out."

Kris looked at him and laughed. "Are you insane? The Black Dragons-"

"Are busy fighting the police. Come on." He continued to run and made his way down the stairs, shooting some of the gunmen in the head.

"Look out!" Kris yelled, shoving Jigen out of the way as gunfire went off.

They both looked back to see Shin standing with a machine gun pointed at them. He pulled the trigger, the bullets flying towards them. They closed their eyes, ready to be hit.

"Go!" a voice yelled at them.

"Goemon!" Jigen said happily as he looked up and saw him blocking the bullets.

"Whoa..." Kris muttered as she watched Goemon in amazement.

"Let's go," Jigen said as he grabbed her arm and pulled her forward.

Kris looked back as Goemon cut Shin's gun into pieces and knocked him out.

"Jigen! Over here!"

Jigen looked over and saw Lupin standing with Fujiko. He stopped and looked at Kris and then around at the fighting between the Black Dragons and the police. "Get those people out of there," he told Kris as he shoved her towards the lobby. He ran towards Lupin and Fujiko, meeting Goemon on the way there. They all ran down the hallway together.

Kris stood and watched them and then headed towards the lobby, joining the other cops in fending off the Black Dragons. As they reached the room, another large explosion ripped through the front of the museum, bringing large pieces of concrete down on them and the guests. Kris looked up and, through the dust, saw two men carrying Shin away before blacking out.


	5. Chapter 5

:o The conflict and drama! And woman problems. My cat fell asleep on a pile of socks. xD

* * *

**Chapter Five - Broken  
**

Jigen sat on the couch watching tv while Lupin and Goemon ate. He ignored them as they talked, paying attention to the news story that was being shown.

"It is said that five people were killed and twenty-seven injured when an explosion tore apart the front of the Kyoto Museum," the newswoman said as pictures of the wreckage were being shown. "The total number of deaths during this incident is now at seventy-four. We head now to the scene where Akira is standing. Akira?"

"Why are you watching that crap?" Lupin asked Jigen. "Worried about your girlfriend?" He looked at Jigen and grinned.

"Zenigata was in the lobby when it was ripped apart. Or did you know that?" Jigen glanced at Lupin and then back at the tv.

"He was? Shit." He looked down at his food. "Are you sure?"

"You walked right past him and you didn't even notice?"

"It's hard to notice when psycho's with machine guns are firing at you." Lupin set his fork down and walked over to the tv set. He sat down next to Jigen and watched.

"Do you think it was smart for Fujiko to leave by herself?" Goemon asked.

"Yeah, she'll be fine," Lupin answered, still staring at the tv.

"Where'd she go?" Jigen asked Lupin.

"She went back to Hiro's to ask about the pendant." He stood up, breathing a sigh of relief when he saw Zenigata's name didn't show up in the list of the dead. "She said she'd call when she found something." He sat back down and continued eating.

"Yeah," Jigen said as he turned off the tv, not fully convinced that she was going to help them.

------------

Zenigata sat half asleep in a wheelchair in the lobby of the hospital. His leg was bandaged and his left arm sat in a sling. Kris stood behind him, her forearm and head in bandages, and talked to the doctor before pushing the wheelchair out the front doors. "The doctor says you'll recover in no time," she told him.

"Great," he said in a depressed voice.

"What? Come on, you should feel lucky to be alive. If you would have been laying five inches to the right, you would have been killed." She looked at him and smiled.

"I just want to go home," he said as he closed his eyes and sighed.

"Yeah. I'll drop you off and then go see the chief. That should be fun," she said sarcastically as she stopped the wheelchair next to the passenger door of Zenigata's car and helped him get in. Walking around to the drivers side and getting in, she glanced over at a now sleeping Zenigata. She smiled and started the car, pulling out and leaving the parking lot.

------------

The phone rang and Lupin rushed over and picked it up. "Yeah?" he asked. He smiled as he listened. "That's great. You know where to meet me, right? Okay. Bye." He hung up the phone and looked at Jigen and Goemon.

"Did she get what we needed?" Jigen asked him.

"Yeah." He grabbed the old book and walked over, joining them at the table. Sitting down, he opened the book and layed it in front of them. "Look," he said as he pointed to some symbols written on the page. "This symbol stands for bird and this one under it stands for leg."

"Bird leg?" asked Jigen, already bored with the lesson.

Lupin, getting very exasperated, looked at him and glared. "Look, if you don't care about this, then why don't you just leave?"

"I never said I didn't care," Jigen responded as he shook his head, amazed at Lupin's response. "Please, do go on."

Lupin continued to glare at him and then looked back down at the book. "Yes, it means bird leg. Or more commonly referred to as the Cane of the Ibis." He closed the book and looked at them.

"The Cane of the Ibis is only a legend. Nobody has ever claimed to have seen it." Goemon looked up at Lupin.

"Yeah, well that's where you two come in." Lupin looked at both of them and grinned.

"You know what? I think I will leave," said Jigen as he stood up.

"Relax, Jigen," Lupin told him with a laugh. "It's obviously not the cane, just an old reproduction. And, I know where it is."

"And you want us to go get it," Jigen said as he sat back down.

"First National Bank of Tokyo. Business district. Security box number 473." Lupin grabbed his jacket and put it on. "You two go do that while I meet Fujiko. Contact me once you've gotten it, alright?" He looked at them, both giving a nod, and then left.

------------

At the police station, Kris stood in the chiefs office. Her posture was very relaxed as she leaned to one side, shifting her weight to her right leg. The chief sat at his desk looking down, skimming over some papers.

"I'm putting you two on medical leave," he said as he continued reading. He set the papers down and looked up at her. "You should be lucky you weren't killed back there, Officer Pullman."

"Yeah, I wish I could say the same for the others," she said as she looked sorrowfully at the chief.

"Yeah," he replied with a long sigh. "We have people if you need to talk about things, you know."

"Like shrinks?" she asked. She laughed slightly and shook her head. "I'm alright, seriously. I've been through situations about as bad as this one." She looked at him and forced a smile.

"Alright, but if you ever change your mind," he told her, knowing very well she was lying.

"Yeah, sure."

"Just go home and relax and heal up. We'll take care of everything while you're out."

"Yes, sir. We'll do that." She smiled and nodded and then made her way out of his office, glancing at the empty desks as she passed them.

------------

Kris opened the door to Zenigata's house and quietly walked inside.

"How'd it go?"

She looked over towards the kitchen table where Zenigata sat, finishing off the last of the vodka. She walked over and looked down at him. "You really, really shouldn't be drinking that, you know," she said as she took the bottle away.

"Yeah. Alright mother," he said sarcastically. "What did the chief say?"

She looked at him and grinned as she got a can of soda out of the fridge. "He said we were on medical leave and that everything would be taken care of. Whatever he meant by that."

"He means our case." He stared down at the almost empty bottle and sighed. "He'll probably give it to Ashida."

"What? But..." Kris looked at him in disbelief. "This is still our case. I mean, we aren't dead. We can still work on it. Right?"

Zenigata looked up at her and shrugged.

"Well, with the way you're mixing drugs and alcohol, you'll be dead pretty soon, so..." she looked at him and grinned.

He looked up at her seriously and shook his head. "Can you get me my cigarettes?" he asked as he pointed to the counter.

"Yeah, sure." She grabbed them, tossing the pack at Zenigata. "So, the great Ashida will be on our case, huh?"

Zenigata placed a cigarette between his lips and lit it. "Yeah. Wonderful news, isn't it?"

"Another target for the Black Dragons. That's basically all it boils down to." She grabbed one of the kitchen chairs and set it backwards in front of her, sitting down with her arms resting on the back of it. "He's not gonna solve this case."

"And we are?" Angered by his current situation, he stared down as he fumbled with the pack of cigarettes with his right hand.

"Giving up?" She looked at him and grinned.

Angry, he tossed the pack of cigarettes on the table and sat back. "It's a fucking bedtime story. We have no leads, no ideas, no clue as to where we're going on this. It's bullshit."

"Well, maybe, but we know Lupin is after the same thing and we know what he's been taking. So, we use that bit of info and-"

"Solve everything?" He looked at her and laughed. "So, he's taken a diamond, a map and now a jade pendant. Ooh, such great information," he said.

"Well," Kris said as she shrugged, "it's something, right?" She stood up and grabbed her jacket. "I'm gonna go to the station to look into some stuff. I'll be back later, alright?"

Zenigata stared down at the table, mumbling something to her as she left. He looked up at the clock and sighed.

------------

Jigen and Goemon sat in an armored vehicle putting the rest of the guard uniforms on. In the back of the truck were two men, bound and gagged in their underwear.

"Do you have the information?" Goemon asked Jigen as they got out of the truck and started towards the bank.

"Yeah," Jigen answered as he pulled out a piece of paper and held it up. "Hey, you remember that note you found the other night?"

"Yeah? What about it?" Goemon stood by the door as Jigen pulled out the keys and opened it.

"Did you read it?" They walked inside and Jigen closed the door and locked it.

"No. It said it was for Lupin. I figured he should be the one to read it."

"Yeah, well read it." He pulled out the letter and handed it to Goemon. Goemon looked down at it in shock.

"You took it from him?"

"Yeah," Jigen replied. "Who cares. I mean, he's our friend. He should share this crap with us. Just read it already."

Goemon took the note from Jigen and opened it, reading it carefully. He lowered the note and looked up in disbelief. "Is this true?"

"Why would they lie? And why would Lupin get so upset after reading it?" As he talked they made their way to the back safe, Jigen using the combination to open the large, heavy door. "This whole thing is just bullshit, man. I mean, if he knows about the Black Dragons association with his father, then what's to say he's not gonna turn around and work for them?"

"Why would he do that?" Goemon asked as he looked for the security box inside the vault.

"You read the note. Lupin's father had worked for the Black Dragons to get the treasure. Now they feel that Lupin is indebted to finish what his father never did. I mean, it's the fucking Black Dragons. Who knows what kind of shit they have planned." He stood and watched as Goemon opened up the box and pulled out a long metal case.

"This is it," he said as he opened the case and pulled out the foot long metal reproduction of the cane.

"So?" Jigen asked him. "Don't you think this whole thing is a little strange?"

"I see where you are getting your point, but I don't believe that Lupin would turn on us so quickly."

"I hope you're right, Goemon." Jigen followed Goemon out of the vault and closed the door.

------------

Zenigata layed out on the couch in the living room, flipping through channels on the television set. Hearing a knock on the door, he sat up. "Hold on a second," he hollered towards the door as he grabbed his crutches and made his way over. He opened the door, a man and a woman in very formal attire standing and looking at him. He looked at the woman. "Ayame, hi," he said as he smiled.

"Koichi," she said as she smiled back. "What happened?" she asked, looking at his arm and leg.

"It's nothing, really. Just had an accident." He looked at her and laughed nervously.

"Are you alright?" she asked, a look of sympathy on her face.

"Yeah, sure, I'm fine." He laughed again and then looked at her and the man. "Oh, I'm sorry. Come in, please." He stepped aside, holding the door open as they walked in.

"Oh, this is my lawyer, Mr. Yamamoto."

"Yes, we've met before," Yamamoto said as he glared at Zenigata.

"Please, sit down." Zenigata motioned towards the living room as both of them sat down. Zenigata followed, sitting down across from them. He turned off the television set and focused his attention on them. "So..." he started, "...how's Toshiko?"

"She's fine. Although she still wonders why her father is never around when he says he will be." She looked at him and glared.

"Yeah," Zenigata said as he looked at the floor.

"So, can we get started on this?" Yamamoto asked as he put some papers on the table.

"You missed her birthday again this year," Ayame continued, ignoring Yamamoto. "Along with my birthday and our anniversary."

Zenigata closed his eyes and sighed. "Yeah, I know. And I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you, Ayame. To both of you. Just please..." he trailed off as he looked up and stared at her, desperately wanting her forgiveness.

"Oh, you mean so you can spend two days with us and then fly off halfway around the world like you did last summer."

"No, I mean it this time. That won't happen."

"Oh, I see. So, now I'm supposed to trust you?" She continued to glare at him.

"I've decided to resign after this case, Ayame," Zenigata said calmly as he stared into her eyes.

"I don't believe you. You've said that before."

"Here," he said as he grabbed his jacket and reached into one of the pockets, pulling out a piece of paper and handing it to her. "My letter of resignation. You can turn it in right now if you want."

Ayame looked down at the piece of paper and slowly shook her head. "This just won't work, Koichi," she said as she handed him the letter back. "I'm sorry."

"But..." He took a breath and then sighed, feeling defeated. "Just give me one more chance. Please," he begged. "After this case we can-"

"After the case? After? You care more about your damn job then you do your own family." She glared at him, tears starting to form in her eyes. "You will never change, will you?"

"Ayame...." He stared at her as she sat and cried. Looking down at the floor, he sighed as his mind became deep in thought.

------------

Jigen and Goemon ditched the armored vehicle and got into a small sports car. As Jigen drove, Goemon sat silently in the passenger seat. Jigen looked over at him and grinned.

"So, now that we have all the items, I say we go out and celebrate," he said. "What do you say?"

"Lupin wanted us to call him when we got the cane."

"Yeah and we will." He looked over at Goemon. "After we have a few drinks." He smiled as he drove off.

Jigen parked the car out in front of the bar. He and Goemon got out and entered the building. Dimly lit and filled with smoke and the murmur of people, the bar seemed pretty busy. In the back room, people were playing pool, darts and poker. The occasional holler of victory could be heard over the murmuring in the front.

"The usual?" Jigen asked Goemon as they got to a table in the corner.

Goemon nodded and sat down as Jigen walked to the bar. He looked around at the people as they all sat around getting drunk and conversing.

"Here you go," Jigen said as he set a drink in front of Goemon. He sat down and set his drink in front of him.

"Have you ever thought about how easy this job seems?" Goemon asked as he took a drink.

"Yeah, ever since the Bahamas. Why?"

Goemon shrugged. "I've been thinking about that note. If Reynolds was setting us up to get the treasure, then how come the Black Dragons attacked the museum? I thought Lupin said they were working together on this whole thing."

"I don't know. Maybe one of them had a fallout." Jigen shrugged as he took a drink. "Wouldn't be the first time it's happened."

"Yeah." Goemon stared down at his drink and then continued looking around the bar. "I never apologized to you for wearing your hat."

"Don't worry about it." He stared down at his drink and then started to laugh. "I thought Lupin was going to piss his pants." He looked up at Goemon and they both started to laugh.

"What about me? I thought I was dead there for a second."

"Yeah, I guess I kind of overdid it." He stared down at the table and then finished off his drink.

"You want to talk about it?"

"Not really." He sat in silence as he stared at the wall behind Goemon. "Five minutes..."

"Huh?" Goemon asked as he stared at Jigen.

"I was five fucking minutes late and she makes a big deal about it." Jigen shook his head and sighed. "Why is it that the few women I've fallen in love with have to be total fucking control freaks? I swear, it pisses me off."

"Yeah, and I thought they always said opposites attract." Goemon looked at Jigen and grinned.

"Shut up," Jigen said as he shook his head and grinned.

"So, what are your plans for the holidays now?"

"Well, instead of the vacation I had planned, I'm going home to meet my sister's soon to be husband." Jigen stared at his empty drink.

"You don't sound excited." Goemon looked at him and grinned.

"I haven't been home since my brothers funeral five years ago. My parents are still pissed off at me over that whole thing. Plus, I have to meet some dickhead who wants to marry my sister." He continued to stare at the empty glass. He smiled and looked up at Goemon. "Hey, why don't you come with me? You can meet my family and it'll be great."

"I think I already have plans," Goemon replied as he smiled.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." Jigen laughed and then stood up. "You want another?" he asked.

"No, I'm fine. I think I'll call Lupin now."

"Alright." Jigen walked over to the bar as Goemon walked back to the phones.

The bartender served Jigen his drink and then went back to watching the television set hanging in the corner. Jigen stayed at the bar and stared down at his drink when a woman walked up next to him and called out to the bartender. Jigen looked up, surprised to see that the woman was Kris.

"Are you sure?" she asked the bartender as he slid a small photo back towards her.

"Positive. There's another bar down the street. His kind usually hangs out there." The bartender glared at her.

"Maybe I can help you," Jigen said as he stared down at his drink.

"Huh?" Kris said as she looked over at him. "You," she said, surprised to see him.

Jigen looked up at her and smiled. "So? What do you say? You want some help or not?"

"And if I say yes, what will this help cost me?"

"I help you, you help me." Jigen finished his drink and then looked at her. "Why don't we sit down and discuss this?"

Kris stared at him, leery of his request, but followed him over to the table where Goemon sat.

"What's she doing here?" Goemon asked as he glanced up at her.

Kris glared down at Goemon and then sat down. "Okay, you go first," she said to Jigen as she sat back and crossed her arms.

"Jigen?" Goemon asked him, confused at what was going on.

"We have four items and some stupid riddle. What do you have?"

Goemon looked over at Jigen in shock. "Are you crazy? What if Lupin finds out you're helping a cop?"

"Relax, Goemon. He's not going to find out." He stared blankly at Goemon and then looked back at Kris. "So? What do you have?"

"Was that supposed to be helpful to me?" she asked as she stared at Jigen.

Jigen smiled and shrugged. "Tell me what you got and I'll tell you more."

"Yeah, I think I should be going." She stood up and leaned on the back of the chair. "Unless you want to offer me a real tip in exchange for something that will help you figure this thing out."

"Don't listen to her, Jigen. She's bluffing." Goemon looked at Jigen and then glared at Kris.

"Okay, fine, you don't believe me." Kris stood up and shrugged. She stared at them for a moment and then turned to leave.

"Damn it. Hold on," Jigen said unhappily.

"Yeah?" Kris asked as she stopped and turned around.

"Sit down," Jigen said with a sigh. He looked over at Kris as she sat down, resuming the same position she had before. "Fine. We tell you what we got and you tell us what you got, okay?"

"Sounds fair," Kris replied as she shrugged.

------------

Later that night after Jigen and Goemon had returned to the hideout, Lupin gathered everyone together and went over the plans. Goemon and Fujiko left to meet a man with some info, leaving Lupin and Jigen alone.

"So, it looks like we're close to finishing the job," Jigen said happily.

"Yeah," returned Lupin as he sat in a chair and stared at the floor. The expression on his face was very serious.

"What's with you? It's all downhill from now on, right?"

"Goemon told me how you got the information." He looked up angrily at Jigen.

"Oh..." Jigen walked over and sat on the couch, staring off in front of him.

"Oh? That's all you have to say?" He shook his head and laughed out of disbelief.

"What else do you want me to say?"

"How about that you fucked up? God, Jigen. What the hell were you thinking?" Lupin glared at Jigen.

"I was thinking about solving this damn thing so we could stop worrying about it. And you can't say I fucked up, alright? I got what we needed." He returned the glare.

"You gave our information to a damn cop! How is that not fucking up, Jigen?"

"It just isn't, okay? God, you're so...," Jigen stopped and shook his head, too angry to continue.

Lupin crossed his arms and stared at the floor in front of him. "So, she said this guy would help?" he asked.

"No, she said that he knew about the Dragons and their connection to Pavlo."

"Oh, well, that's a big help," Lupin said sarcastically.

"And also the numbers and the stuff from the stories."

"Of which we have no idea what any of it means."

"Why the hell are you so angry? I mean, if we have no idea what everything means, what's to say that she and Zenigata will figure it out?"

Lupin groaned and rubbed his face with his hands. "I don't know. This whole thing, it's just pissing me off." He stood up and walked over to the table, various books and papers scattered on top. "We have all of this stuff and none of it makes sense."

"Maybe we're just putting too much thought into it." Jigen stretched and layed on his back on the couch, setting his hat over his face. "I think I'll just sleep on it."

Lupin stared down at the table. "Yeah..." He continued to stare down at the info scattered about.

------------

Kris sat on the bed, staring down at various papers layed out in front of her. She read each one over and over again, soaking up every word. "Most of this stuff has to do with death. And that can't be a very good sign." Perplexed, she shook her head, frustrated by the endless path she was taking. "Oh God, this is stupid," she said as she rubbed her eyes. Glancing at the clock, she sighed and then stared down at the papers. Tears formed in her eyes as her mind wandered. Throwing herself down on the bed, she buried her head in the pillow and cried.


	6. Chapter 6

Gasp! I have no idea what to say about this. My mouth tastes like that scrubbing bubbles scum cleaner stuff. I guess you aren't really supposed to breath in the mist. xD Woo! My mouth is free of scum! Cleaning is fun for everyone, yay! :D

* * *

**Chapter Six - Guatemala Bound  
**

Kris lifted up her head, wincing at the bright sunlight coming in through the window. She looked around, a bit confused by the papers scattered on the bed and floor. Setting her head back on the pillow, she glanced down at some of the papers. She closed her eyes and groaned, remembering the unsolved case.

Zenigata sat in the kitchen, drinking his tea and reading the paper. He looked up as Kris walked in and sat down, setting some papers on the table.

"Figure anything out?" she asked him.

He went back to reading the paper. "Didn't really work on it last night."

"Oh. I did. Almost all fucking night. I even dreamed about the damn thing." She sighed and rubbed her face with her hands. "All I have is some inscriptions and a riddle to work off of."

"A riddle?" he asked, lowering the paper and looking at her. "How'd you get that? And why?"

"I talked to some guy who knew something about the legends. That map Lupin stole? He said he had heard that it was written on that." She looked at him with tired eyes and shrugged.

"Let me see it," he said, holding his hand out. Kris handed the riddle to him and he read it. "Leopard king. Two diamonds. A gold cane. And twelve people."

"Well, he's got the leopard and one diamond and I heard he stole some cane last night."

"Huh?" He looked up at her in surprise. "Where'd you hear that?"

"Oh, well, when I went to the station. Some people were talking about it." She smiled nervously, quickly looking away.

"You're an awful liar, you know that?" He shook his head and went back to reading the paper.

Kris opened her mouth, ready to say something, but stopped and sighed. "I've been told that before." She glanced down at the riddle. "Twelve people. What does the number twelve have to do with anything?" She sat and thought about it as Zenigata ignored her.

------------

"Wake up," said Jigen as he kicked one of the legs of the chair Lupin was sleeping in.

"Huh?" Lupin asked sleepily as he lifted his head and looked around. "What time is it?"

"Almost noon." Jigen sat down at the table across from Lupin. "Were you working on this all night?"

"Just about," Lupin answered as he stretched. "Where's Goemon and Fujiko?"

Jigen shrugged. "Never came back."

"What?!" Lupin jumped to his feet. "What the hell do you mean they never came back? Did they call or anything?"

"Nope," Jigen replied calmly.

"Dammit, Jigen. Why the hell didn't you wake me up earlier?" He walked over and grabbed the car keys and his jacket. "Where the hell did they go again?"

"To this address." Jigen handed Lupin a piece of paper and was ready to follow him out the door when it opened, Goemon and Fujiko walking in.

"Jesus Christ, guys. You've never heard of a telephone?" Lupin crossed his arms and glared at them.

"Sorry, Lupin," answered Fujiko as she put her arms around him and kissed his cheek. "The guy had a lot to talk about. That and the fact that we had to lay low for a while before heading back."

Lupin groaned in frustration. "Next time call or something. I almost had a heart attack."

"That cop was right, though," Goemon said as he stood and stared at Lupin. "He had a lot of information. Here." He handed Lupin and envelope.

"Is it anything useful, though?" Lupin asked as he pulled out some papers.

"If you want the whole history of Pavlo it is," answered Goemon.

"So, who was this guy?" Jigen asked.

"He used to be a Rat," Goemon said as he sat down.

"Why would a Rat have this kind of information?" Lupin asked as he skimmed over the papers.

"He once worked undercover as a Dragon. They became interested in the treasure about fifteen years ago when the leader of the organization died and Shin took over."

"So, Shin is the one who started their whole interest, eh?" Lupin read over one of the papers. "And they have bad blood with the Red Phoenix Clan."

"The who?" asked Jigen.

"The Red Phoenix Organization," Goemon started, "is led by Shin's half brother, Tao, who has accused Shin of killing his own father so he could be leader. Tao used to be a member of the Dragons, but left to form his own clan and defeat them."

"Great. So now we have another angry group to deal with?" Jigen sighed and sat down.

"It just makes it that much more fun," Lupin said as he smiled. He sat down, pulling a cigarette out of his jacket and lighting it. "I was working on that riddle last night and I think I came up with the solution." The others looked at him in surprise. "It says there were twelve servants. That cop had given you twelve numbers." As he talked, he wrote down the numbers on a piece of paper. "The servants split into pairs and then they split into pairs. And then, they become one." He added the numbers together. "Add north to this one and west to this one and..." he held up the paper.

"Latitude and longitude," Goemon finished.

"Holy shit... So, where are we going?" Jigen asked.

"Guatemala City. Get ready." Lupin looked at them and smiled happily.

------------

Zenigata sat at the table, going over information on the case. He looked up at Kris, who had her head on the table and was sleeping. He focused back on the case, writing down some things. "Kris," he said as he wrote. "Kris," he repeated as he nudged her. She lifted her head up and looked at him. "Here." He slid the paper towards her.

"What is it?" she asked, picking up the paper and looking at it.

"Get ready. We're leaving." He stood up and grabbed his coat as Kris looked on in confusion.

------------

On the plane, Lupin read over the information that Goemon and Fujiko had obtained.

"Well?" Fujiko asked him. "Have you found anything out?" She wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Yeah. It's interesting how everyone involved seems to hate each other, but at one time they were all connected in some way." He put the papers on his lap and wrapped his arm around Fujiko, staring off into space. "Jigen."

"Yeah." Jigen sat behind Lupin and stared out the window.

Lupin turned, looking at Jigen with a grin. "Can I be your best man?"

"Huh?" Jigen asked. He glared at Lupin, understanding his question, and looked out the window.

"Come on. I was kidding." Lupin smiled and laughed. "So, you like her. Who cares, right?"

"I don't fucking like her, alright? God!"

"Then why get so angry?" Lupin asked him.

"Fuck you," Jigen replied.

"Do we know where we're going once we get to the airport?" Goemon asked.

"Well, I'm sure Jigen wants to find a phone to call his girlfriend," Lupin said with a laugh.

Jigen, angered by the comment, stood up and stared down at Lupin.

"Hey, come on, Jigen. I was kidding." Lupin smiled and laughed nervously.

Goemon stood up and turned towards Jigen. "Just ignore his childish remarks, Jigen. It's not worth getting angry over." Goemon glanced at Lupin, giving him a glare.

"What?" Lupin asked, looking at Goemon. "It was just a joke. Excuse me for trying to lighten the mood." He turned towards the front of the plane and crossed his arms, glaring at the back of the seat in front of him.

------------

At the police station, Ashida sat at his desk, going over reports. He looked up as someone knocked on the door. "Yeah?" The door opened and an officer came in.

"Sir, we just got word that Lupin is headed to Gautemala City."

"Really." Ashida sat up in his chair, glad to hear the latest news. "When did he leave?"

"About fourty minutes ago, sir."

"Right. Get the men together and let's meet him there." Ashida looked at the officer with an evil grin.

------------

Kris and Zenigata walked off the plane and into the lobby of the airport at Guatemala City. Kris stretched and yawned as she looked around. "I say we find some place to crash for a few hours."

"Yeah. We can go over some of this stuff when we get there," Zenigata said as he started towards the entrance.

They stood outside, waiting for a taxi. When one stopped, they got in.

"Where to?" the driver asked.

"Can you take us to a hotel?" Zenigata asked.

"Ah, I see," the man said as he looked at both of them and grinned.

Zenigata looked at him and smiled nervously. "It's not like that. Really."

"We work together," Kris added as she glared at the driver and shook her head.

"Uh huh, alright," the driver remarked, not believing them. "A hotel it is then." He put the car in gear and drove away from the airport.

The driver stopped in front of a large hotel and let them out. They both stood and stared up at it. "Maybe we should have told him we aren't rich," Kris said, staring at the ornate front to the building.

Zenigata sighed and walked up to the front doors. "I'm sure we won't be here long anyway. Come on." He opened the door and walked inside, Kris following behind him.

"I'll just stay here, okay?" she said as she stood in the large lobby. She wandered around, looking at the murals painted on the walls as Zenigata got them their room.

"You ready?" Zenigata asked as he walked up behind her.

"Yeah. That was fast." She followed him to the elevators. "You okay?" she asked as they waited for the elevator to come.

"Yeah. Just tired." He looked at her and smiled. The elevator door opened and they both walked inside.

------------

"Any idea of what we're doing?" Jigen asked as they walked through the airport.

"Yeah, Lupin. Why don't you fill us in?" asked Goemon.

"I will, but not here." Lupin had his arm wrapped around Fujiko as he walked. They reached the front doors and walked outside, Lupin taking out a cigarette and lighting it. "Let's just take a walk." He walked on ahead, leaving Jigen and Goemon standing, staring at each other.

"What the hell?" Jigen asked as he and Goemon started to walk after them.

"Problem, Jigen?" Lupin asked.

"Yeah. You're acting weird again. And the last time you acted like this..." Jigen walked in front of Lupin and stopped him. "So?"

"That was a while ago, Jigen. Why are you so worried?"

"I'm worried because of this," Jigen said as he held out the letter left at the scene of the shootout.

"Oh, so now you think you can get involved in my business?"

"I am involved in your business, Lupin. Why don't you just tell me what the hell is going on?"

"Yes. I would like to hear that answer, also," added Goemon.

"This letter doesn't mean anything, alright? Geez, what the hell, guys?"

"So why distance yourself from us?" Jigen asked as he glared at Lupin.

"I'm not! Look, okay, fine. I thought about it. But, it wasn't like I would go through with it." He glared at both Jigen and Goemon.

"Go through with what?" Fujiko asked him.

"Working with Shin," Jigen said, still glaring at Lupin.

"What?!" Fujiko quickly looked up at Lupin.

"Jesus! You know what? Forget it, alright? Just forget the whole damn thing. I'm taking all of you out to dinner and you are coming," Lupin demanded as he walked off angry.

------------

Kris layed on her back on one of the beds. Her arm was draped over her face, covering her eyes. Zenigata layed on his side on the other bed, his back facing Kris, as he stared out the window. "Kris?" he asked, almost in a mumble.

"Yeah?" Kris replied, lifting her arm slightly and glancing over at him.

"Your father. What really happened?"

Kris set her arm back over her eyes and sighed. "He was killed while working a case. Why does it matter?"

"He was working on a case involving Mr. Reynold's, right?"

Kris layed there silent.

"That's why you're here, isn't it? You don't care about the diamond. You just want revenge for-"

"You can stop now," Kris interrupted. "Why does it matter?"

Zenigata sat up and looked at her. "You really want to throw everything away?"

Kris layed still, keeping her arm covering her face. "My father was given the case blindly. They didn't tell him of the dangers. And nothing got accomplished. The only thing they did was tear a family apart. And for what?" She lifted her arm up, setting it down by on her stomach as she turned and looked at Zenigata. "Reynolds just threw money at the department and told them to shut up about the whole thing."

"And you cooked up this whole thing about Pavlo's diamond to get Reynolds back in the news?"

"My partner put this thing together." She laughed slightly and sat up. "The case was there, but nobody really cared about it. All my superiors knew about the black market dealings. It's just that..." She stared down at the bed and sighed.

"They were all caught up in some political bullshit, right?"

"Yeah." The more she thought about it, the more angrier she got. "He was one of their own. He did so much for them and then they turn around and label his death a suicide and...I can't just let this go."

"You could get yourself killed, you know."

"It's possible, but whatever happens happens."

"Look," Zenigata said as he sighed, "let's just worry about solving this case, alright? And whatever choice you make to get Reynolds, no matter how stupid I think it is, I won't stop you." They looked at each other and smiled. "I say we order something to eat and figure this out so we can go home."

"Yeah, sounds good."

------------

Lupin, Fujiko, Jigen and Goemon all sat together at a table in an upscale restaurant. A band played soft music on the stage in the back of the room. Couples sat around them, whispering to each other and drinking glasses of wine. Lupin sat quietly, staring down at his wine glass.

"This is going to be my last job," he said quietly as he thought deeply.

Jigen and Goemon looked at him, surprised by what he had said. Fujiko sat silently as she stared down at the table.

"Huh? You're joking, right?" Jigen asked.

"What's going on, Lupin?" Goemon asked.

"Look, guys, I have my reasons, alright? I just don't want to do this anymore." He looked up at them as they stared back. "What?"

Jigen laughed. "You're so full of it. You're just saying this to see how we'll react."

"You don't seemed surprised," Goemon said as he looked at Fujiko.

"That's because she already knew," Lupin answered, staring at Fujiko and smiling.

"And she's the reason?" Jigen asked.

"No, Jigen, she isn't." Lupin glared at Jigen. "Why is everything her fault? I'm getting sick of your 'let's blame Fujiko' bullshit."

Jigen looked at him and shrugged. "Then just tell us why. Is that so hard?"

"No, but I already told you, so why don't you -"

"I'm pregnant, alright?" Fujiko blurted out.

Jigen and Goemon looked at her in shock as Lupin sighed and looked down at the table.

"Well, congratulations to the both of you," Goemon said, breaking the awkward silence.

"Yeah," Jigen said as he looked at Lupin and grinned.

"Oh God, here it comes," Lupin said as he sat back, an embarrased look on his face.

"What?" asked a still grinning Jigen. "I'm just hoping it'll be a girl."

"Do you think it's a good idea for you to come along?" Goemon asked Fujiko.

"Please, Goemon. I'll be fine. And besides, I'm coming whether you want me to or not." She sat back, offended.

Lupin looked at him and shrugged. "I've made arrangements for us to be taken to this temple."

"So," Jigen said solemly, "this is it, then, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess," Lupin said as he looked down. "Hey, I say we make a toast to our last job together." Lupin lifted up his glass and the others followed. They clinked the glasses together and then downed the wine in them.

------------

Zenigata and Kris sat at the small table in their room, going over the case while eating food out of styrofoam containers. "So, you think this is really where the treasure is?" Kris asked.

"If those numbers led us here, in the middle of where the Mayan civilization thrived, then yeah, I think it's there." He took a drink, washing down his food before he spoke again. "The stories tell of death and his eyes. Well, Mayan mythology states that Cizin, the God of death, was depicted with a sort of necklace of eyes."

"That sounds disgusting," Kris said as she smiled. "Okay, so we know that the stories might have been talking about this Cizin. But, why there? I mean, I could see it if you had pointed to Tikal, but it's way south west of there."

"Well, I don't know exactly where it is, but there were stories of a cult who worshipped Cizin. They say they had built a temple somewhere in that general area."

"Great," Kris said sarcastically. "More stories to follow."

"I don't see you coming up with anything," Zenigata said as he glared at her.

"Okay, fine. I'll shut up, then. Anything else?"

"I'm going to call this guy in the morning. He's a historian, guide type person." Zenigata finished his food and pushed the container away from him as he sat back.

"Sounds....good, I guess," Kris said while shrugging.

"Also, chances are we were followed here, so I don't want you wandering around at night." He gave her a stearn look.

"Um, alright. But, you know, you could have just said you would be lonely if left alone." She looked at him and grinned.

"Yeah..." He grinned and shook his head as he pulled out a cigarette and lit it.

"I'm tired anyways, so I'm just gonna go to sleep." She walked over to one of the beds, pulling back the covers and getting in. "See you tomorrow," she said as she pulled the covers over her and closed her eyes.

"Yeah, goodnight." Zenigata sat at the table, continuing to smoke his cigarette as he stared off into space.

------------

Meanwhile, in Tokyo, Shin sat in his office, prepared to release some of his frustrations on a prostitute. He grabbed her, throwing her onto the couch and getting on top of her as someone knocked on his door. Shin closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, mumbling something in Chinese. "What is it?" he yelled.

"We have some news, sir," the voice on the other side of the door said.

Shin sighed, getting off the woman and walking to the door. He opened it forcefully and glared at the man. "This better be good."

"We got word that Lupin has arrived in Guatemala City. And we know where he may be headed."

Shin stared at the man and smiled. "Get my plane ready and tell the others were leaving soon."

"Yes, sir," the man said and then turned around and ran off.

Shin smiled as he closed the door. He looked back at the woman on the couch and walked towards her.


	7. Chapter 7

They finally get to where they have to go and... weird stuff happens. xP One thing I hate in this story is the way I tried to make everyone so cutesy. I'm sure at the time that wasn't my intention, but reading it now.... ugh. Four more chapters to go, if I can remember to upload them. xD Still unsure about the sequel to this. It was pretty bad. Might just throw the chapters together, as they were kind of short, and put them here as an extra type thing. Or not. Don't know.

* * *

**Chapter Seven - Cult of Cizin  
**

Kris got off the elevator and walked into the lobby where Zenigata was waiting. "Get everything?" she asked.

"Yeah. He said he would pick us up at nine." He looked down at his watch, seeing they still had ten minutes to wait.

"Is this temple nearby?" Kris asked, trying to pass the time.

"Where I showed you on the map."

"And we're getting there by car?" Kris looked at him, unsure that this plan was going to work.

"His truck. He said he's taken people there lots of times. I wouldn't worry about it."

"I'll try not to." Kris looked around, already bored with waiting. Seeing her last attempt at a coversation went nowhere, she thought of something else to say. "So, you sure you're okay?"

"Huh?" Zenigata asked, looking confused. "Yeah. Why?"

"I don't know. Just wondering." She stared off as her mind wandered. "So, that temple has to have a lot of treasure in it, right?"

"Probably not. I still think this whole thing is made up."

"Yeah, but even so, I mean, if there were some treasure...." She looked at him suggestively.

"And exactly what are you getting at, huh?" he asked as he stared at her. "Look, when I said I would let you do anything, no matter how stupid, that didn't involve stealing treasure, alright?"

"Well, too bad. I might want to retire early." She stood and stared down the street. "Thank God, I think he's here." She walked down the street towards an old truck that drove up.

"You Manuel?" Zenigata asked as he pushed Kris out of the way.

"Yup, that's me," the driver replied with a smile. "Get in."

Zenigata opened the door, motioning for Kris to get in. She sighed and did just that as he followed, sitting next to her and closing the door.

"Lago de Peten Itza, right?" the man asked.

"Is that where the Cizin cult was?" asked Zenigata.

"The supposed Temple de Cizin? It's around there, yeah."

"Wait a second," Kris said as she looked at Manuel. "Supposed?"

"Stories tell of the Cult of Cizin, but the temple was never proven to be where they congregated." Manuel stopped the truck, allowing an old man pulling a cart to cross the street. "As far as the locals know, it's just an old and unsafe temple. There was also no way to get into it. Well, at least that anybody could see."

"What? So, we just came all this way to -"

"Kris, shut up," Zenigata said, not letting her finish her sentence.

"Fine," Kris replied, letting out a big sigh and staring out the front window.

------------

The truck stopped near an old, run down temple. Old broken bricks scattered the ground and were slowly being strangled by the encroaching vines. The vegetation surrounding them was thick and filled with the sounds of wildlife. Zenigata and Kris got out of the truck. "Thanks," Zenigata said to Manuel as he smiled. Manuel smiled back and drove off.

"Whoa, wait a sec," Kris said, almost in a panic as she watched the truck strand them.

"He's not going to wait for us. Come on." Zenigata walked up to the ruins. As he got closer, he noticed a dark opening low to the ground. "Damn it," he said in a low voice as he walked towards the small opening.

"What is it?" Kris asked as she followed.

"They're already here." He turned and looked at her and then looked back at the opening.

------------

Inside the temple, Lupin led the way through the narrow and damp corridors of the ruins. Shining his flashlight around, he examined the intricate carvings etched in some of the stones.

"So, do you have any idea as to where we're going or are you just walking around aimlessly?" Jigen asked.

"Walking around aimlessly," Lupin replied as he kept walking.

"Figures," Jigen said with a sigh.

"What exactly are we looking for?" Fujiko asked.

"I wish I knew." Lupin looked at her and shrugged. "We've been walking for a while. Why don't we rest for a bit. It's not like there's any big rush."

"Yeah, unless you want to call the four groups after us no big rush," Jigen said as he smiled.

They all sat down, leaning against the cold walls as they took a short rest. Each one looked around silently, their eyes never meeting one another.

"Well, this is awkward," Lupin said as he stared at the ground in front of him. Grabbing the backpack he was lugging around, he reached inside and pulled out the small jade pendant. "I wish you would tell us where you belong," he said to it in a low voice.

"Should we be worried?" Jigen asked, looking over towards Lupin, who sat in deep concentration staring at the pendant. "Lupin?"

Lupin's hands grasped the pendant tightly, his expression changing from deep thought to one of pain and fear. His hands shook and beads of sweat formed on his face.

"Lupin? Lupin!" Fujiko shouted as she shook him slightly.

"Damn it," Jigen said as he and Goemon rushed over to help him. Jigen grabbed the pendant, pulling back his hand quickly as the sudden heat imminating from the jade stone burned his skin.

"Move back," Goemon told them as he readied his sword.

Just then, Lupin let out a scream and threw the pendant against the opposite wall. It bounced a few times and then came to a rest at his feet. Out of breath, he brought his hands up and held his head, quietly sobbing.

"What the hell happened, Lupin?" Jigen asked as he looked on in concern.

"Lupin..." Fujiko said, staring at him with a worried look on her face. She put her arm around his waist, holding and comforting him as the others looked on.

------------

Zenigata and Kris walked together down the darkened hallways of the temple. Both of them shined flashlights around, inspecting their surrounding carefully.

"These carvings look like they were done yesterday," Kris said, amazed at the condition of the temple.

"Probably were," Zenigata said, more interested in finding Lupin than looking at the carvings. "Hopefully, this place is small."

"With your luck, it'll be the largest temple in the world." Kris chuckled slightly as Zenigata turned and glared at her.

Zenigata stopped suddenly and looked around, as if frightened by something. "Did you hear that?" he whispered to Kris.

"Hear what?" she whispered back.

"Shhh." Zenigata held his hand up, motioning for her to stop moving.

"Hear what? You're freaking me out," Kris said, her voice trembling a little.

"I don't hear it now. It was like a -"

Just then the ground shook, followed by a loud rumbling sound that echoed throughout the temple. They both pulled out their guns and shined the flashlights around.

"I say we get the hell out of here," Kris said panickedly. "Huh?"

They both looked down towards the end of the hallway where they had started and saw lights. Low voices were heard, becoming louder as the seconds went by.

"Come on," Zenigata whispered to Kris as he grabbed her arm and pulled her down the hall. His walk turned into a run and soon they entered an even larger hallway. Giant stone statues of Mayan warriors dotted either side of the hall.

"I heard something down here," one the nearby voices called out as the lights got closer.

"Crap." Zenigata looked around and pointed towards the statues. "Try to hide behind them. Stand on the base," he whispered to Kris as he headed towards one, climbing on the base and leaning against the back of the tall rock carving. He closed his eyes and held his breath as the group of men passed.

Kris peaked around the statue, watching as the men walked by. Each one was armed, their guns slung over their shoulders.

The ground shook violently once again, causing one of the statues near the end of the hall to fall and shatter. The men readied their guns, pointing them and the flashlights around.

------------

Jigen and Goemon stood, their weapons drawn as they tried to keep their balance as the ground shook.

"Earthquakes?" Jigen asked.

"Could be. Although two that size that close to one another is very rare," Goemon answered as he started to relax.

"Yeah, well I say we get what we came for and get the hell out of this place before it falls down on us." Jigen put his gun away and looked down at a still shaken Lupin. "Hey, come on. We're leaving, so pull yourself together and get off your ass."

Fujiko looked up at Jigen and glared. "He's in no condition to continue right now. You should think about more than your sorry ass once in awhile."

"This coming from someone who has screwed us a few hundred times. You're funny, Fujiko." Jigen looked at her and gave a sarcastic laugh.

"Will both of you just shut up for once," Lupin blurted out angrily as he stood up and looked at them. "I'm fine. Let's just go." He bent down and picked up the pendant, sticking it in his pocket, and then turned and continued on down the hall.

The others stood and stared at each other, confused. They then caught up with Lupin and followed him down the hallway, each one remaining silent.

------------

The men passed and the hallway becoming silent once again. Kris and Zenigata came out from the statues and rejoined.

"One of them had the Red Phoenix symbol tattooed on his forearm," Kris said as she looked down towards the darkness where the men had walked.

"So, I guess the Black Dragons will be showing up next," Zenigata said as he sighed. "Come on." He turned and started down the hall.

"I hope so," Kris mumbled as she caught up and walked alongside him.

------------

Outside the temple, Ashida stood in front of a small group of cops. He looked at the plant covered rocks in front of him, a puzzled look on his face. "This is it?" he asked an older man standing next to him.

"Yes, yes this is it," the old man replied as he stepped forward, standing aside Ashida.

"I thought this was a temple. All I see is a pile of rocks." Ashida looked over at the old man, whose expression was that of shock. "Huh? What is it?"

"The seal......" the old man mumbled as he slowly backed away. "They didn't use the seal."

"What in the hell are you talking about?" Ashida asked, even more confused than before.

"There." The old man pointed to the opening in the side of the temple wall.

"Hmm?" Ashida slowly walked up to it, bending over and looking inside. "Right, men," he said as he turned around and looked at the officers. "We enter through here. And remember, you see anything suspicious, open fire. Is that clear?" He looked at the officers, who all nodded. "Thanks for the help, old man. We can take care of everything from here."

"May God be with you," the old man said softly as Ashida and the officers entered the temple.

------------

Lupin lead the way down the various hallways as if he knew where to go. He took each direction without pause or thought, the others following his lead.

"Do you want to explain to us what went on back there?" Jigen asked.

"I saw things, alright? Can we just drop it?" Lupin kept walking, keeping a steady pace.

"No, we can't. Look, I don't know about Fujiko or Goemon, but I was scared shitless when you were...." He stopped his sentence short and sighed. "Just tell me and I'll drop it."

Lupin became upset as he started to think about the event. He stopped and looked at the ground. The others stopped and waited for him to speak. "Alright, fine," he said, just wanting to get it over with. "I was here, in this temple and I was walking. There were voices. They led me to a big door and.....it opened." He stopped and fought the emotions that formed in his body. "Inside.......there was this....thing.....and....." He turned and looked at the three. "You were all dead and this thing kept laughing.....and....." He laughed slightly as he turned around. "It doesn't matter, alright? It was just some stupid vision."

"Stupid vision?" Jigen asked, astounded. "We all die and you just write it off like that?"

"He is right, Lupin," added Goemon. "What you saw could be our fate."

"Fates change. Don't they?" Lupin asked as he turned and looked at them, hoping they would agree.

Jigen laughed, becoming more relaxed. "I don't know about that kind of stuff. All I know is that if you want to go on, I'll follow alongside." He looked at Lupin and smiled.

"As will I," Goemon said.

Fujiko looked at Lupin, smiling and nodding in agreement.

"I'm touched, guys. Thanks." He looked at them, a sincere smile on his face.

"So? Are we going ahead with the plan?" Jigen asked.

Lupin looked at him and nodded and then turned and continued to walk forward.

The farther they got, the louder the sound of trickling water could be heard. Soon, they were inside of a large room, the ceiling towering high above them. One side of the room contained a large underground lake, a trickling waterfall helping to keep it filled.

"And this is it," Lupin said as he stood in front of a large rock door.

"And it has slots for the cane and the pendant," Jigen said as he examined the door. "Well?" He glanced at Lupin, who stood staring at the symbols etched in the rock.

"Um, yeah, right." He took the backpack off, kneeled down and pulled out the cane. Reaching in his back pocket, he grabbed the pendant, clutching it in his fist. He then turned towards Goemon and Fujiko, who nodded.

"Come on. Don't be so scared." Jigen looked at Lupin and grinned.

Lupin looked at Jigen and grinned. "Yeah, I don't think I'm the one who's scared." He walked up to the door and placed the items in their respected slots. He then backed off and waited to see what would happen.

The ground shook only slightly as the door started to tremble. A loud rumble echoed the room as the door began to open.

They all stood together and watched as the opening got larger, the dust hiding the view of the other room.


	8. Chapter 8

The enemy in this story is the reason I wanted to at one time rewrite it. I liked how I had written them. Although I think I stole them from something else. Probably some bad SciFi movie. xD Zenigata needs to shoot Kris. She annoys me.

* * *

**Chapter Eight - The Curse of Cizin  
**

As the dust settled, it became apparent that the doors opened up into another room. Lupin stepped forward, standing in the doorway and examining the large expanse before him. On the side walls were two large stone statues about thirty feet tall, both depicting winged skeletons holding dead bodies. In the back of the room were three open archways, all of them leading into darkness.

"Well?" Fujiko asked as she walked up and stood next to Lupin.

"Creepy statues, huh?" he asked her as he looked up at them.

"Are we going inside or are you two just gonna stand there all day?" Jigen asked as he started to push past them.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," a voice called out from behind.

They turned quickly to find themselves facing a large group of armed men. Lupin stepped forward and laughed.

"So, you must be Tao," he said to the leader of the group.

"And you must be Lupin," Tao said as he smirked. "Now, if you and your friends will kindly walk towards me with your hands in the air."

"Ooh, so polite," Lupin said with a laugh. "A bit different from your brother."

"Just do as I say or we open fire," Tao demanded as he pointed his gun towards Lupin.

Lupin nodded to the others and they all did what Tao had asked. Some of the men started towards them with their guns drawn.

Suddenly the ground shook again, knocking the men off their feet. The shaking subsided, followed by a loud screeching sound. Everyone in the room readied their weapons as they looked around, panicked by what they had heard.

------------

"I'm starting to get sick," Kris said as she braced herself against the wall, the small tremors making the ground sway.

"Come on. Stop lagging," ordered Zenigata as he continued on.

"I'm not lagging," Kris mumbled as she glared at him.

Zenigata stopped as he came to a split in the hall. "This one is your decision," he said as he turned and looked at Kris.

"Um.....right? Maybe.....?" she said, questioning her answer.

"Okay, fine," said Zenigata as he turned down the hall. "One simple decision. That's all it is."

"Well, it's hard to think when weird crap is going on around you," she said, defending herself.

Zenigata ignored her and kept walking, his mind set on finishing the job as quickly as possible. Up ahead, some lights appeared, one shining in Zenigata's face. He lifted his arm, shielding the light as he tried to see who was there.

"Who the hell is that?" Kris asked, drawing her weapon.

The voices ahead yelled out at them in Chinese. A gun went off, narrowly missing Zenigata and hitting the wall.

"Shit!" Zenigata yelled out as he ducked from the bullet.

"The Dragons?" Kris asked as she huddled down next to him.

"Turn off your light and start running," he told her.

"Good idea," she answered, doing as he said.

He ran after her, stopping occasionally to fire at the group behind them. They returned fire and gave chase.

"Keep going straight, alright?" he told her as they reached the split.

"Yeah, sure."

The ground started to shake again, this time more violently than before. Kris and Zenigata continued to run, the ground under their feet crumbling. Hearing a large crack, they stopped and looked ahead, the floor breaking apart and falling into darkness.

"Now what?" Kris asked as she looked behind her. "We can't face all of them."

"Shh, listen," Zenigata said, becoming quiet and listening.

"What?"

"Listen." Zenigata picked up a rock and tossed it into the gaping hole in front of them. There was silence and then the faint sound of splashing water. He looked at her, a determined look on his face.

"Oh, no, no, no. I'm not even...." Frightened, she started to back away from him.

"Then face all of them," he told her as he pointed down the hallway.

Shots were heard, the bullets piercing the walls and ground around them.

"Dammit!" Kris exclaimed.

"Come on." Zenigata held out his hand and Kris took it. He ran towards the hole, pulling her with him as he jumped. He continued to hold her hand as they fell down into the blackness.

After a few seconds, they splashed hard into the water, both of them swimming to the surface. They looked around at their surroundings and then looked up from where they had fallen from. Looking at each other, they smiled and laughed, elated that they had survived the ordeal.

------------

The Phoenix clan regrouped, all standing in a tight circle as they pointed their weapons around them.

Another shriek was heard, followed by another. Soon, there were many that filled the room.

"I think we should get out of here," Lupin told the others. They all nodded in agreement and ran through the door that they had just opened.

Their escape was short as they were soon surrounded by glowing lights. They gripped their weapons as they watched the lights dance around them.

The lights, small blue orbs, started to rise towards the ceiling, where they grouped and exploded, filling the room with a bright blue glow.

In the other room, there were gunshots and screams heard, some of the men fleeing into the next room, where they froze from what they saw.

"What the hell are these things?" Jigen asked.

All around them were weapon wielding skeletons, most of them in ancient armor. Some held swords while other were more heavily armed with large axes and hammers. A few were deformed and more sinister looking than the others. They all cackled while the rotting flesh on their skulls formed angry and twisted faces.

"Um, skeletons?" Lupin answered.

"Obviously," Jigen answered. "But why the hell are they moving around?" He shot at one that slowly crept towards him, blowing it's skull into pieces. It's body fell, forming a pile of bones on the ground.

"How the hell should I know?" Lupin asked as he too shot at the skeletons.

"They mentioned a curse on this place. I think this is it," Goemon said as he sliced the swords and bones into pieces.

"When they said curse, I figured it meant traps. Not skeletons popping out of the walls and ground to attack us." Lupin reached in his jacket, pulling out a clip and reloading his gun.

"How could you not even think that this could possibly happen, Lupin?" Fujiko asked him as she grinned.

Lupin grinned back. "Shut up and keep shooting."

Jigen continued to shoot, the pile of bones before him growing larger. "I have an idea," he yelled out.

"Yeah?" Lupin asked.

"We make our way into the other room, get these things to follow us and then when they're busy with the Phoenix clan, we make our way back here and to the treasure."

"Sounds good to me," Lupin answered. "Goemon?"

Goemon nodded, running towards the other room, slicing away the enemies and forming a temporary path. The others followed close behind, picking off random skeletons as they ran into the next room.

The remaining members of the Phoenix Clan stood their ground, fighting off the skeletons until they were almost wiped out. Tao looked up, the blue light coming closer. "Damn it...." he mumbled as he put a new clip into his gun.

------------

"Huh? What's that?" Zenigata asked, looking towards a small blue light in the distance. He turned towards Kris as the faint sounds of gunfire and screams could be heard.

"I doesn't sound good, whatever it is," Kris responded. "Let's go check it out."

Zenigata nodded and they both swam towards the light.

------------

Lupin, Jigen, Goemon and Fujiko continued to defeat the skeletons, inching slowly towards the door as they did so. Away from the fighting, they turned and ran back into the room, stopping in front of the three archways that stood before them.

"So, which way?" Jigen asked.

"Goemon?" Lupin looked over at Goemon, who pointed his sword towards the left opening. "Right." Lupin nodded and they all ran through the arch and into the darkness.

"I wonder how close we are?" asked Fujiko, smiling as she thought about the treasure.

"Who knows. Hopefully very close," Lupin answered as he looked back and smiled.

"Yeah. And we've made it this far and we're all still alive. Maybe that vision really didn't men anything like you said," Jigen said, also smiling as he thought about the treasure.

Lupin smiled and laughed as they all continued down the long hallway.

------------

As Zenigata and Kris got closer to the edge of the lake, they could see the bodies of men strewn around the ground. They looked at each other very seriously as they swam to the rocks. Pulling themselves from the water they stood shocked by the carnage around them.

"What the.....? Kris said quietly, trailing off as she looked around.

"Huh? Hey." Zenigata ran over to one of the men, who was still alive. "What happened here?" he asked the man, who looked around with half closed eyes, his fist clutching a bone tightly.

"What is it?" Kris asked as she walked up behind Zenigata, who was leaning over the man.

"The....they...." the man stuttered, small trickles of blood coming from his mouth. "...came alive....." he managed to say just before his body went limp.

"Damn it." Zenigata closed his eyes, laying the man down. He ran his fingers over the man's eyes to close them and then said a small prayer.

"God, these people...." Kris said as she looked around. "It's like they were ripped apart by something."

"Yeah, but what?" Zenigata turned and looked up at her. "There's not a trace of anything. Just blood and body pieces." He stood up and glanced towards the open door.

Kris walked up and stood behind him, pulling out her gun and cocking it. "Well, we've come this far."

Zenigata looked at her and nodded as they both made there way through the door. As they did a skeleton perched on a rock overlooking the room watched them and then disappeared into the stone.


	9. Chapter 9

More skeleton-ee action. :3

And now, a rant. Yay. I'm listening to the radio today and Imagine comes on. Usually that song makes me change the station quickly, but I decided to listen to it, as I enjoy the piano playing. But the lyrics, wow. It's like "Gee, John, your "perfect" world sound like complete and utter hell to me. I think I'll pass on your utopia." Makes me laugh when anyone raises the Beatles or any of the members higher than they deserve to be. I mean, to be quite honest, they really weren't that good. It's even funnier when people make them out to be geniuses because of how they recorded their music. But, yeah, I'd just like to thank John Lennon for thrusting some untalented ugly broad into "stardom" just because he married her. Thanks, jackass. When I see you in the afterlife, I'm kicking you in the nuts for that. :D

* * *

**Chapter 9 - The Rise of Death  
**

Zenigata and Kris stood in front of the three archways, both of them staring at the dark entrances before them.

"Well?" Kris asked. "I made the last decision."

"Hmm." Zenigata stared and thought about which way to take. "I say the middle."

"Fine by me. Anywhere but here," she said as she stared at the two skeleton statues.

"Yeah. Must have been some messed up people coming here." Zenigata glanced at the statues and then turned and started down the middle path. "So," he started, "does your captain even know where you are right now?"

"Huh?" she asked, looking puzzled.

"Well, you said your partner set this whole thing up, so does your captain even know about it?"

"Oh, that. No, I was put on six month leave for shooting that guy." She looked at him and shrugged. "I'll most likely be fired when I get back to Seattle."

"Is there anything you can do to justify your actions? So you won't be fired?"

"Most likely not, but if Reynold's ordered Shin to kill my dad like I think he did, then it's worth it for me. I mean, if killing my dad's murderer means me losing my job, then so be it." She became angry and then suddenly confused. "Why are you bringing this up now?"

"Trying to get my mind off of what was back there," he said as he pointed behind them with his thumb and smiled nervously.

"Oh, yeah, good point." She continued to follow him down the darkened path. "So.....you ever been to Sweden?" she asked, also trying to get her mind off things.

"Yeah. I've been there several times. Why?"

"Is it nice? I've wanted to go there ever since my fiance told me about it."

"Fiance? You're engaged?" He looked back at her and smiled.

"Two years." She smiled back, a bit embarrassed. "Our wedding plans kept getting screwed up."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Maybe when you get back home you'll have more luck."

"Yeah, maybe."

He stopped as they came to a split in the path. "Which way?"

"Huh? Oh, um, right." She looked down at the ground as they walked, her mind now on her personal life. "He's supposed to get some time off of work during the holidays, but he's going to Sweden to see his parents." She looked up and sighed, feeling depressed. "So......." she started, thinking of something else to talk about. "Hey, I couldn't help but notice those papers from that attorney. You getting sued or something?"

Zenigata glanced back at her. "No, I'm not getting sued. If only it were something that easy."

"Getting sued isn't easy," Kris replied. "I was just lucky the department stepped in and took responsibility for my actions before I lost everything."

"Maybe that will make you think before you make any rash decisions."

Kris laughed. "I'll always be like this. So, then what is it, if you don't mind me prying into your personal matters." Kris grinned.

Zenigata looked at her and laughed. "I've never heard that one before. You know, Kris. You're not that bad of a person sometimes."

"So, you're not gonna answer my question."

"No," Zenigata replied as he looked at her and smiled.

"Alright," she replied, shrugging. "It was worth a try."

"Hey, look," Zenigata said as he stopped and looked ahead, a small light sparkling in the darkness.

Kris drew her gun, her heart beating faster as she stared at the light.

Zenigata shined his flashlight ahead, a small object appearing on the wall. He exhaled deeply, relieved at the finding. Walking towards the light, he started to see what it was. "A statue?"

"Weird. Why is it here?" Kris asked as she poked at it with her gun.

"An angel holding a diamond. And there's a small insert underneath it."

"It's that same writing that was on the pendant," Kris said as she closely examined the angel. "Well, we don't have anything to put in the insert, so..."

"Maybe we can pry it out," Zenigata suggested as he grabbed the diamond and tried to pull it from the angels hands. Failing to even loosen it, he let go and stood back.

"Wait, I have an idea. Step back."

"Huh? What are you....?" Zenigata asked her as he walked and stood behind her.

Kris lifted up her gun, aiming it at the angels hands and firing. The stone shattered and the diamond dropped to the ground. "See? It's just that simple," Kris replied proudly as she walked over and picked the diamond up. "I wonder if this is worth anything?" she asked as she pocketed it.

"Are you sure that was the smartest thing to do? What if the things that ripped apart the Phoenix clan become angry and come back?"

Kris looked at him and shrugged. "Aren't they already angry?"

"Yeah, you have a point. Come on." He turned around and started to go back down the hallway.

------------

"Wow, this place is huge," Lupin said as they entered a long rectangular room. "It looks like some kind of church or something," he said as he kicked what remained of a stone bench.

"Lupin. Look at this," Fujiko said as she stood near a large stone door.

"I don't like this place," Jigen said to Goemon as they stood and looked around.

"Me, neither," Goemon agreed.

"What is it?" Lupin asked as he walked to the door.

"There's a notch carved out. Maybe it's for the diamond." She looked up at him very eagerly.

"Looks like it. Well, let's see what happens," he said as he pulled out the diamond and stuck it in the notch.

Everyone stood silently and waited for something to happen.

"Huh?" Lupin pulled the diamond out and put it back in. "What the hell?" he asked angrily.

"Maybe it has to go in this way," Fujiko suggested as she took the diamond and put it in differently. She stepped back, but still nothing happened.

"Maybe you have the wrong diamond," Jigen said as he walked up to the door and looked up at it. "This could be where the treasure is."

"So, then where's the diamond that opens it?" Lupin asked him, frustrated over the situation.

Jigen shrugged. "Maybe we missed it."

"You think?" Lupin said, staring at Jigen.

"Oh, Goemon. You could just cut the door open, right?" Fujiko asked him.

"Would that be a wise thing to do?" Goemon asked.

"Yeah, just cut the damn door down," Lupin demanded.

"Maybe we shouldn't -"

"Shut up, Jigen," Lupin said as he cut Jigen off. "It's fine, Goemon. Just do it, already."

Goemon stepped forward, glaring at Lupin before pulling out his sword and slicing an opening in the door.

------------

Zenigata and Kris continued through the hallway, both of them not talking much.

'This is boring and my feet hurt,' Kris thought to herself as she walked. 'But if I say anything I'll most likely get yelled at.' She glanced up ahead and then back down at the ground.

'Figures Lupin would come here,' Zenigata thought. 'What is that diamond for?' He glanced back at Kris, who looked up at him as he turned his head forward again.

She sighed loudly and then stopped. "You hear that?"

Zenigata stopped and looked back at her and then beyond her. "Looks like somebody is there."

Kris turned around and looked at the lights in the distance. "The Dragons, you think?"

"I don't know." Zenigata stood there, still staring at the lights as they flickered and danced around.

Kris turned her attention towards him as she waited for an order. "Well? Are we just gonna stand here?"

"Huh? Oh, no, I guess we shouldn't." He laughed nervously and continued his way down the hall. Coming to a small opening, he stopped and looked around. Looking up, he saw the roof was elevated, large boulders protruding from the rocky walls. "Up there," he said, pointing to a darkened spot on the wall half hidden by a rock.

"Why?" Kris asked as she shined her flashlight up towards it. She turned around as the voices behind them became louder.

"We'll hide up here and wait for them to pass," he explained as he made his way up the wall.

"Oh, alright," Kris said as she nodded, following him up the wall and crouching down behind him.

------------

"If we keep going, we're bound to run into something, so quit your complaining," Ashida ordered to one of the cops that trailed behind him.

The cop sighed, opening his mouth to say something, but quickly closing it as Ashida looked back at him.

They kept walking on, all remaining silent as they pointed their flashlights around, their other hand kept close to their weapons.

------------

Zenigata pressed Kris uncomfortably against the wall as he hid deeper behind the rock. Peaking around it, he watched as the men passed. Noticing they were Ashida and his men, he sighed a breath of relief. "Hey," he called out as he jumped down from where he was perched.

Ashida and the cops became startled, pulling out their guns and pointing them at Zenigata and Kris, who had just jumped down.

"Don't shoot!" Zenigata yelled out in a panic.

"Lower your weapons," Ashida ordered. He walked through the small crowd and to the front, where he stood and glared at Zenigata. "I'm surprised to see you, Inspector, figuring you were taken off this case."

Kris laughed quietly at the arrogance that emitted from Ashida. "Yeah, well we didn't fully agree on the captain's decision," Kris remarked as she walked up and stood next to Zenigata.

"We started this case and we're not going to let somebody else finish it," Zenigata said in a harsh voice.

"Hmm, two against eight. I wonder who would win." Ashida looked at both of them and smirked.

"You think this is a joke?" Kris asked as she stared at Ashida.

"No, but I think I'm looking at the joke right now," said a still smirking Ashida as he looked at Zenigata.

Zenigata growled in anger as he walked up to Ashida, grabbing his coat and getting in his face. "Do you really think this is the time to be acting like an ass?! Didn't you notice the bodies of those men on your way here?! Or is there ever a time in your life that you care about something other than your own fucking self?!?!"

"Are you finished?" Ashida asked calmly as he grabbed Zenigata's hands and pushed them away.

"Um, I guess," Zenigata said in a low voice, not knowing how to take Ashida's reaction.

"Good." Ashida straightened his coat as he stared at Zenigata. "And, yes, I saw those bodies. For all I know you two could have done that."

"What?!?" Kris asked angrily.

"You bastard!" Zenigata yelled at Ashida.

"You two could be dangerous killers on the run, just ready to be picked off." Ashida looked at them and smirked.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Kris asked him. "There's something out there ripping people apart and all you care about is getting rid of us? And what the hell did we do?"

"You two are on leave, so by law, you're just ordinary citizens getting in the way of an investigation." Ashida pulled out his gun and cocked it.

"So, now you're gonna kill us?" Kris asked as she glared at Ashida.

"No. Well, yes, but I want to make it fun." He looked at them and smiled.

Zenigata gave Ashida a disgusted look. "You sick bastard. So, is this how you moved up in rank? By picking off all of the ones around you?"

"Not all of them," Ashida said matter of factly. "Only the ones that mattered." He smiled, as if proud of himself, and then pointed his gun towards Zenigata and Kris. "I'll count to ten and then I start shooting."

Kris smirked. "So after you get to zero, you're fair game, too, right?"

"Ten," Ashida started. "Nine..."

Kris grabbed Zenigata's arm. "Come on, let's go!" she yelled as she ran past Ashida and through the cops, dragging Zenigata behind her.

------------

Lupin stood in front of the hole in the door, staring inside of the next room in shock.

"What is it?" Fujiko asked as she pushed Lupin out of the way to look. "Wow..." she managed to say, amazed by what she saw.

The floor in the room in front of them was made of gold and mostly covered in gold coins and jewels. On the side walls stood small pedestals and on each pedestal was a very richly decorated urn. At the end of the room was an alter where a casket was placed. Around this layed more gold and more jewels.

Jigen and Goemon stood behind them and glanced at each other. Hearing something, they both turned. Ahead of them stood the Black Dragons, Shin standing ahead of the group.

"Uh, Lupin," Jigen said as he stared at Shin. With no response, he turned around. "Lupin!" he shouted out, this time getting Lupin's attention.

"What is-" Lupin stopped as he turned and saw the group. "Oh God, not again," he said, annoyed by the new presence.

"So, I see you have found our gold," Shin said with a smile. "And have also gotten rid of the Red Phoenix clan for us."

"Hey," Lupin said. "We had nothing to do with that."

"I'm sure you didn't," Shin replied with a smirk. "Now, I'll need all of you to drop your weapons and get against the wall." He pointed his gun to an area left of the door.

"Hey, you guys hear something?" Lupin asked the others as they stood facing Shin.

"Now!" Shin yelled at them.

"No. Did you?" Jigen asked while looking at Goemon.

"No," he responded.

"Look, I'm not fucking around here!" Shin said as he fired his gun above their heads.

Lupin, Fujiko and Jigen ducked from the bullets while Goemon stood and blocked them with his sword.

"Do it now, damn it!" Shin yelled once again.

They all did what he said, dropping their weapons and standing against the wall as Shin and the rest of the Dragons pointed guns at them.

------------

"Where are we going?" Zenigata asked Kris as they continued to run.

"Away from them," she answered, ducking down as a bullet hit the wall behind her.

"What if this is a dead end, though?"

"Then we're screwed."

They continued to run through the long straight hall. Soon they could see the end in which the hall connected with another.

"Which way?" Kris asked.

"Let's go left," Zenigata answered.

Kris nodded and, seeing a dark hole appear on the ground in front of her, tried to stop, only to be pushed from behind by Zenigata. "Crap!" she yelled out as she tried to keep her balance, turning around and grabbing Zenigata's coat.

"Huh? What are you...?" he asked, also trying to keep his balance.

Kris fell back, pulling Zenigata with her down into the darkness. They fell for what seemed like forever until they hit the hard ground, Kris falling first and Zenigata landing on top of her.

"Oww, get off of me," Kris said through her pain as she pushed Zenigata off. "Why couldn't there have been water here?" She sat up and held her head. Hearing something, she looked up. "Huh?" The members of the Black Dragons stood there, shocked by the sudden appearance.

"Hi there," Lupin said to Kris and Zenigata as he smiled and waved.

"Huh? Lupin!" Zenigata stood up and glared at Lupin.

"I would just stay there, Inspector," Shin said as he pointed his gun at Zenigata.

Kris got up and stood behind Zenigata. She glared at Shin, slowly reaching for her gun. She got a hand on it and was ready to pull it out and fire when Ashida and his cops fell from the darkness above her, making her dive out of the way.

"Grr! Get off of me!" Ashida yelled at his men who had stumbled on top of him.

"Great, more cops," Lupin said as he stared at the pile of police officers.

Ashida got up and pointed his gun at Shin. "Who the hell are you?" he asked.

Shin laughed and walked up to Ashida. "Shoot me and I'll be the last thing you see," he said as he looked back at his men, some of them aiming their guns at Ashida and his officers. He reached out and grabbed Ashida's gun, pointing it at one of the officers and shooting him in the head.

"Jesus Christ!" Ashida yelled out as he and the others looked on in horror. "What the...what the hell are you doing?"

Kris glared at Shin, clutching her gun that she held behind her back.

Lupin turned his attention away from the dead cop and looked at Shin. "Alright, alright. Look, you've made your point. You have the treasure. Now let everyone go."

"Can't," Shin said, pointing the gun at Lupin and firing above his head. "The only way I'll even consider that is if I get to keep you as a hostage." Shin looked at Lupin and smirked.

"Don't do it, Lupin," Jigen said. "Don't try to be the hero."

"You know, Lupin," Shin said as he walked up to him, "I liked your father a lot better. Too bad he had to die and leave us with you." Shin laughed as he brought Ashida's gun up to Lupin's head.

A scream was heard, one of Shin's men thrown against the wall above where Lupin and Shin stood. They both ducked down, Lupin rushing Shin and grabbing a hold of the gun.

"Shin!" Kris yelled out, pointing her gun at Shin and firing, hitting him in the chest.

Shin's men, angered by this, fired at Kris, who ran away and dodged their bullets, diving behind a large rock.

"Goemon!" Lupin yelled, tossing the sword that layed before him at Goemon. Goemon grabbed it from the air and started to attack Shin's men, the others grabbing their weapons and joining in. Their fighting was abruptly halted by a large jolt in the earth and some more high pitched screeching.

"Not again," Lupin said as he looked around.

"Come on, Lupin," Jigen shouted out. "Let's just grab what we can and get the hell out of here."

"You're not going anywhere," Zenigata said as he stood in front of the door to the treasure.

"I don't think any of us are at the moment," Kris said as she ran up to them and looked back, skeletons rising out from the ground and falling down from the ceiling.

"What the..." Zenigata started as he looked on, frightened by what was happening in front of him.

"Just your run of the mill pains in the ass," Jigen replied while he shot at a few of them.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Kris asked Jigen. "I think you're just making them more angry."

"Uh, yeah, maybe you should stop, Jigen," Zenigata said, watching as the skeletons lined up in front of them, stopping about twenty feet away.

The rest of Shin's men and the officers ran over and joined Lupin and the others, watching as the skeletons stood still, their boney fingers gripping their weapons as if waiting for the command to attack.

"This doesn't look good," Lupin said as he and the others got their weapons ready, their eyes glued on the skeletons, waiting for them to make the first move.


	10. Chapter 10

:(

* * *

**Chapter 10 - The Return of Pavlo  
**

For a short moment everything in the room was still. Each group staring at the other closely. Then suddenly, just as quickly as they had come, the skeletons retreated back into the ground.

"What the hell?" Lupin asked as he and the others looked around in a panick.

"Look out!" Kris yelled as she shot a skeleton that popped out of the wall behind Fujiko.

"Damn it!" Lupin yelled as the skeletons jumped out of the walls and ground around them. He and the others shot frantically, trying to fend off the dead warriors that had quickly surrounded them.

"There's too many of them," Jigen shouted as he reloaded his gun. "We need to get the hell out of here."

"And how are we going to do that?" Lupin asked.

"How am I supposed to know?" Jigen responded. "It just sounds like a good idea."

The remaining skeletons retreated once again, leaving the room silent like before.

"This is not funny," Kris said, frustrated and scared.

Lupin looked back at the treasure room and then back out in front of him. Turning quickly, he ran in and started to grab what gold and jewels he could.

"This isn't the time, Lupin!" Jigen shouted.

"You wanted to leave this world rich, Kris," Zenigata said as he looked at her. "Are you sure you really want to be like him?"

Kris turned and stared at Lupin, grabbing what he could frantically, and shook her head. "I'm not that desperate."

"Are they gone?" Ashida asked.

"Are you stupid?" Kris asked him. "Of course they aren't gone. They're all around just waiting for the right time to jump out and rip us to shreds."

Lupin came running out, his pockets full of gold and raw jewels. "Come on, guys. Let's get the hell out of this place." He ran past them and towards the doorway they had entered from.

"Lupin, wait," Zenigata yelled out as he started after him.

Soon, everyone followed, all running as fast as they could to escape the horrors they had encountered. As they got to the door, a skeleton jumped out of the ground and swung his sword at them, making everybody stop and jump back.

"Enough!" Goemon yelled out as he ran and jumped towards the skeleton, swinging his sword at it. The skeleton sunk back down into the ground before it could be hit. Goemon landed and looked around. "Huh?" he blurted out as a hand grabbed his at his foot and tried to pull him down into the rocky ground.

"You bastard!" Jigen yelled, shooting at the hand and freeing Goemon from it's grasp.

"You okay?" Lupin asked Goemon as he ran up to him and helped to pull his foot from the ground.

"Yeah, I'll make it," Goemon said as he winced from the pain.

"What the hell is that?" Ashida asked as he backed up into Lupin. They all turned to look and saw the skeletons gathering in the room where the treasure layed.

"The same damn thing we've been fighting, maybe?" Kris answered as she turned to leave.

"Holy shit...." Jigen said as he stared into the room.

"Huh?" asked Kris as she turned and was immediately shocked by what she saw.

The skeletons had huddled together, a blue glow surrounding them as they all seemed to be in a state of deep concentration. As the glow got brighter, the treasure started to move slowly towards the mass of bones.

"You want my treasure?" a voice asked them from behind. They all turned to look, a tall middle aged man dressed in ancient egyptian garb standing in the doorway. A single gold plated necklace was around his neck, in it carved two eyes of Ra. "Well?"

"Who...who..." Lupin started to say.

"Am I?" the man finished. "My real name is of no importance, for the world only knows me as Pavlo." As he said this the others were taken aback. "Surprised, I see. Well, I guess that's to be expected."

"You mean...you really exist?" Lupin asked.

Pavlo laughed. "Of course I do. The man who escaped slavery only to come on shore to people who thought he was a god. I played the role well, I would have to say. That is until the people turned on me and stuck me down in this inescapable labyrinth." He walked around the group, who stood still and watched him. "If it weren't for those fools and their greedy excavating ways, I would still be down in hell. But they had to pull my soul back to this world."

"So, why don't you go back to hell, then?" Goemon asked.

"Because," Pavlo started as he walked up to and stared down at Goemon, "I can't." He walked past Goemon and towards the room where the skeletons were. "My army. My trusted friends. All the warriors who couldn't pass on to hell, I took them in." He turned and looked at the group and laughed. "If you want my treasure, take it." He pointed back towards the door, it and the walls around it crumbling and falling into piles of dust, exposing the whole treasure chamber which was filled with a bright light.

There was a shrill laughter as the light subsided, the skeletons all forming into one, the gold and jewels embedded into them to form plates of armor placed randomly on it's body.

"Oh god. That's the laugh I heard..." Lupin said as he backed away, frightened.

"That's what you saw?" Jigen asked. "That thing? Shit." He pulled out his gun and got it ready.

"But," Ashida started, turning to look at the now gone Pavlo. "Not everybody wants your treasure."

"A necklace of eyes..." Kris mumbled as Zenigata turned and looked at her.

The skeleton warrior shrieked once again, causing everyone to cover their ears. It swiped it's large hands around the room, hitting a few of the Black Dragons, their bodies flung against the wall where they layed motionless.

"Damn it..." Lupin muttered as he watched the skeleton pound the lifeless bodies into the ground.

"Now can we get the hell out of here?" Jigen asked, looking at Lupin, who nodded in agreement.

They all ran out of the doorway and through the halls as the large skeleton warrior gave up chase in the small confined spaces. Jigen and Goemon led the way, attacking the skeletons that popped up in front of the group. Ducking down as they ran to avoid the boney hands that reached for them from above, grabbing a few of the unlucky ones and pulling their bodies halfway into the ceiling where they hung lifeless.

Making their way through the maze of halls, they finally found their way back to the large room where the skeletons first appeared and stopped abruptly upon entering. In front of them stood the skeleton warrior, it's shrill laugh echoing the room.

"Does that thing ever shut up?" Jigen asked as he took some shots at it, all of them blocked.

"When we kill the fucker it will," Kris said with a grin as she also shot at it.

The skeleton warrior screamed in anger as it punched it's gold plated fists into the ground violently, causing most of the people to lose their balance and fall. The skeleton took advantage of this, grabbing the defenseless ones and crushing them, flinging their limp bodies against the wall.

"Almost everyone is gone..." Ashida said, his voice trembling as he watched the violent and painful deaths of his officers.

"It's preoccupied. Let's get out of here," Lupin said as he turned and ran. The others followed as they started out of the room.

"Come on," Kris said as she turned to see Zenigata trailing several feet behind her.

Lupin stopped and looked back. "Pops, hurry up!" he yelled out.

Kris ran to the doorway and waited for Zenigata to come. "Look out!" she yelled as she looked on in horror as the skeleton swung his fist around, hitting Zenigata and flinging him against the wall. "No!!" she screamed out as she fired her gun at the skeleton as it walked closer to Zenigata's body.

"Oh shit! Pops!" Lupin yelled as he ran towards the skeleton and fired at it.

"Lupin, come on," Jigen said as he ran up and grabbed Lupin's jacket, stopping when he saw what was going on. "Damn it!" he yelled out as he watched the skeleton grab Zenigata again and fling him against the opposite wall.

"You bastard!" Kris yelled, tears falling down her face as she shot at the skeleton. The ground shook violently once again, causing the ceiling to start to crumble, the huge rocks crashing down onto the ground around them.

"Come on. Let's just get the hell out of here," Jigen said to Lupin as he looked above him, trying to avoid the rocks.

"I'm not leaving him," Lupin said, visibally upset by what he saw.

"There's nothing we can do for him. Come on!" Jigen started to run off and then turned and glanced at Lupin, who, with all his emotional strength, grabbed Kris by the arm and pulled her away.

"We can't leave him here," Kris said to Lupin. "We can't...." She broke down crying as she took one last look at the room, the skeleton warrior now pinned to the ground by a massive boulder.

"Come on..." Lupin told her as he wiped away the tears that rolled down his face.

------------

Goemon and Jigen made it out of the temple first, followed by Fujiko, Ashida and the few surviving officers and Black Dragon members. Lupin and Kris came out last, both of them upset and crying as the others looked on. Fujiko ran up to Lupin and hugged him, her eyes beginning to tear up.

"We need to leave before the ground caves in," Jigen said, he and Goemon looking back at the others, all of them really upset for their own reasons.

------------

Lupin looked back at the large crater that was once the temple, the light from the fire casting a flickering light on the pile of stone and bricks around it. He turned his head, looking at Jigen and Goemon, who sat around the fire, their faces expressionless as they stared into the flames. "I can't believe he's gone..." he muttered.

"Yeah," Jigen said, still staring at the fire.

"If I had never come here...." Lupin said, turning his head and staring at the ground next to him.

"Don't blame yourself, Lupin," Goemon said, looking up at him. "This wasn't your fault."

"Was it worth it?" a voice behind them asked.

The three of them turned, seeing Kris glaring at Lupin as she sat on a boulder.

"Your stupid treasure?" she asked.

"Just shut up, alright?" Jigen said.

Lupin shook his head as he fought back tears. "No, it wasn't." He looked up and glared at Kris. "I admired him. He made what I did more enjoyable. I would have never wanted..." He turned his head away, getting up and wandering from the others as he stared out into the distant sky.

------------

"You ready?" Jigen asked, walking up to Lupin, who stood at the base of the crater.

"Yeah," Lupin answered, looking up towards the just rising sun. He turned around and joined Jigen, Goemon and Fujiko and walked off into the jungle.

"Lupin..." Fujiko said, wrapping her arm around him as they walked together.

"Let's go home, alright?" Lupin looked down at her and forced a smile, putting his arm around her shoulders.

"Yeah," she replied, looking up and smiling at him as they all continued to walk, leaving the memories of their trip behind them.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11 - Farewell  
**

Kris sat in the plane and stared out the window, trying not to notice the empty seat next to her. She tried to think of anything that didn't involve the past couple of weeks, when she first set foot in the Tokyo airport. 'I wonder how Roscoe is,' she thought, thinking about her rottweiler back home in Seattle. She quietly laughed, realizing how ironic it was that her first thoughts were of her dog and not her fiance of two years. 'I'm sure Roscoe will be a lot more happier to see me than he will.' She sighed and closed her eyes as the plane got closer to Tokyo.

------------

"Ah, home sweet home," Lupin said as he opened the door to his Paris estate and walked in.

"It is nice, isn't it," Fujiko said as she followed him inside.

"Yeah." Lupin smiled, sighing happily as he put his arm around her shoulders and stared around the room.

"Where do you want these?" Jigen asked, walking in carrying the luggage.

"Anywhere," Lupin answered as he started to walk around. "It's going to be nice to just stay in one place for awhile."

"So, you're really serious about this?" Jigen asked as he set down the bags where he stood.

"I'm gonna be a father soon. Thievery won't really mean much to me." He looked at Jigen and Goemon and smiled. "Before you two go, why don't we have a nice dinner together."

"Sure. I'm in no hurry," said Jigen.

"Me neither," Goemon said as he looked at the others.

"As long as you don't get all teary eyed on us again," Jigen said as he grinned at Lupin.

Lupin grinned back. "I'm not making any promises."

------------

Kris stood in front of the door to Zenigata's house, unable to get up the courage to knock on it. She turned and leaned against it, staring off into the clear sky. "This is stupid," she said as she shook her head. "I knew the guy for two weeks. And even if.....even if he were still here, I'm sure I would never see him again." She turned around and lifted her balled up hand, hesitating before finally forcing herself to hit it against the door. She waited and was thinking about leaving when the door opened, a man in his 40's standing and looking at her.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Um, yeah, hi," Kris said as she looked around uncomfortably.

"Can I help you with something?"

"Can...can I come in?" she asked, pulling out her badge and showing it to the man.

"Is there something wrong?" the man asked as he let her in.

Kris stepped inside, starting to feel sick as she looked around.

"Who is it?" a woman asked as she walked in from the kitchen, seeing Kris standing there. "Are you alright?"

"I...I'm fine," Kris said as she looked down.

"Maybe you should sit down," the man said as he helped her to the couch. "Get some water, Ayame," he told the woman.

"Here you go," Ayame said, handing Kris a glass of water.

Kris took a glass and took a small drink. "Thanks," she said as she stared at the coffee table in front of her. "It's just that...I've never had to do this before." She looked up at them with a look of sorrow on her face.

"Oh god," the man said, appearing very upset. "It's my brother, isn't it? Is he...?"

"No..." Ayame said, shocked and starting to cry.

"I'm sorry," Kris said, looking up at Ayame as the man wrapped his arms around her, both of them standing and sobbing.

------------

"So, what are you two planning to do from now on?" Lupin asked Jigen and Goemon as they sat at a nice restaurant.

"I'm returning to Japan to resume my training," Goemon answered.

"Who knows," answered Jigen as he shrugged. "Probably just travel, find a place I like and stay there for awhile."

"Sounds rather boring, you two," Lupin said as he smiled at them.

"Yeah, like staying at home and changing diapers is a really exciting way to live," Jigen said as he smiled.

Lupin shrugged and smiled. "You never know until you try, right?"

They all became quiet and stared down at the table in front of them as they waited for their food to arrive. When it did, they started to eat, the silence continuing. Lupin ate some and then pushed the food around on his plate.

"They'll have some sort of ceremony for him," he said, staring down at his plate.

"Like we'll be invited?" Jigen asked as he continued to eat.

"Ashida told everyone that we were to blame," Goemon said, looking up at Lupin.

"Kris said she would take care of everything," Lupin said.

"Yeah, that's a big help," Jigen said as he looked up at Lupin. "She hates us, too."

"She's a bit opinionated, but she's not that bad of a person," Fujiko said.

"Yeah, well she's not that good of a person, either," Jigen said as he finished eating and sat back in his chair.

"Well, then I guess you two will have to work something out," Lupin said as he looked at Jigen.

"And that's supposed to mean...?"

"That night, when we escaped the temple, neither of us could sleep, so we sat and talked." Lupin stared back down at his plate and continued pushing his food around. "I asked her to work for me, you know, in the future. She accepted."

Jigen stared at Lupin and then laughed in disbelief. "After all that bullshit you fed me about swapping information with her and then to turn around and give her a job." He crossed his arms and glared at Lupin.

"Yeah..." Lupin pushed his plate away as the table became quiet once again.

------------

"It's a real shame," the police chief said as he rubbed his eyes and sighed.

"Yeah...." Kris stared down at the floor, trying to block the images from her mind. "So, I just.....I just wanted to give you the report." She looked up at him.

"He was a great cop. We were all lucky to have known him." He looked at Kris and gave a small smile.

"Yeah," she said as she nodded. "I should be going. I gotta plane to catch in an hour."

"Oh, yes. I don't want to keep you here." He smiled and extended his hand out towards Kris. "I want to thank you for being a part of this case."

Kris looked down at his hand and shook it. "Thank you, sir," she replied.

"I'll let you know when the service will be."

"I appreciate that." She smiled, stood at attention and left his office.

------------

Two weeks after leaving Gautemala they all returned to Tokyo. That night, Jigen and Goemon met Lupin and Fujiko in the planned meeting area, a hotel lobby. They then had a nice dinner, Lupin making sure the mood was a happy one. For the next day they would attend Zenigata's service and then they would all go their separate ways. And Lupin wanted their meal to end on a high note, since he wasn't sure how long it would be until they would meet up again. He also knew the next twenty four hours weren't going to be that easy. After dinner, they returned to the hotel.

"It is weird, when you think about it," Lupin said as he, Fujiko, Jigen and Goemon sat around a hotel room. "How you never really appreciate somebody until they're gone."

"You should never really take life for granted," Goemon said as he sat cross legged on the floor.

"Especially a friend," Fujiko said as she looked up at Lupin and smiled.

"I need a drink," Jigen said as he stood and walked out of the room, the others silently staring at him.

"He's taking all of this pretty hard," Goemon said.

"We all are," Fujiko said as she stared at the floor.

"We just all deal with it differently," said Lupin, still staring at the door.

------------

Jigen sat inside of the hotels bar, his hand around his glass as he stared down into it.

"You're too easy to find, you know that?"

Jigen turned his head to the side as Kris sat down next to him. "Maybe you're just stalking me."

Kris laughed. "Not really." She waved off the bartender who had walked up to her and then looked back at Jigen. "Can I ask you something?"

"Huh?" Jigen looked at her, a bit confused and nervous. "Uh, I guess..."

"I need you to do something for me."

"Why not ask somebody else?"

"Because I feel I can trust you and I know you'll keep it a secret." She smiled at him.

"Well, you're wrong, but what is it?"

Kris reached inside of her pocket and pulled out the medium sized diamond she and Zenigata had found in the temple. She grabbed Jigen's hand and placed it in it, not letting the others around see what she was holding.

"Is this...?" he asked as he looked down at his now cupped hand.

"Yeah, I guess you guys missed it." She smiled and gave a small laugh.

"So, why me?"

"I need for you to sell it and then give the money to Zenigata's family."

Jigen laughed and pocketed the diamond. "And you can't do this?"

"You know people, I don't." She stared at him. "Please."

"Money is going to make everything easier for them?"

She glared at Jigen. "Then give it back and I'll do it myself somehow."

"Hey, I never said I wouldn't do it." He looked at her and smiled.

"Thanks," she said as she smiled back. She stood up and left, Jigen watching her as she did.

------------

The memorial service took place in the morning, the grey skies and cold air making everything more depressing. The people began to gather and file into the temple, an empty coffin sitting towards the front. When everyone arrived and was situated, the service began.

"Don't you think this is kind of creepy?" Jigen asked as they stood in the back of the temple.

"You should have some respect," Goemon said.

"What?" Jigen asked innocently. "I just think that it-"

"Shut up, Jigen," Lupin said in an angry whisper.

Jigen remained quiet through the rest of the ceremony. When it was over, the people walked up to the coffin to pay their respects. When they were done, they walked out of the temple and into the cemetery where the burial was to be held.

"We should be going," Lupin said to the others as he turned and started out.

"Yeah, I'll catch up with you guys," Jigen said as he saw Zenigata's family by the coffin. He walked down the aisle and stopped behind them. "Excuse me," he said. They turned and looked at him.

"Yeah?" Ayame asked.

"Here," Jigen said as he held out a piece of paper.

"What...?" Ayame took the paper and looked at it, noticing it was a check. She became shocked at the number printed on it. "I don't..." she said, looking up at Jigen.

"It was something that your husband wanted you to have."

"You were....you were there when...?" Her eyes started to tear up.

"I'm sorry. There was nothing we could do."

"He wouldn't have wanted us to have money," Toshiko said angrily, glaring at Jigen as she fought back tears. "He would have wanted us to have him." She ran forward, pushing her way passed Jigen and running down the aisle out of the temple.

"Toshiko!" Ayame shouted out. She sighed and looked back at Jigen. "I'm sorry. What she said-"

"It's alright. I can understand." He smiled at Ayame. "I should be going," he said.

"Yeah. And thank you."

He smiled and nodded and then turned and walked out of the temple.

------------

When the burial was over and everyone had left, Lupin walked up to the gravestone and stared down at it. Fujiko came up from behind, standing next to Lupin and putting her arm around his waist. Jigen and Goemon stood towards the back and waited.

"So, now we mourn, huh?" Kris said as she walked towards Jigen and Goemon, who had both turned and looked at her.

"You can do whatever you want," Jigen said as he pulled out a cigarette and lit it.

"Lupin said you accepted his request to work for him," Goemon said as he stared at Lupin and Fujiko.

"It's something different, I guess," she said as she shrugged. "Plus with all the crap I just pulled, I may not be a cop for much longer."

"So what are you planning in the meantime?" Jigen asked her.

"I'm getting married next year, so I'll see what that brings me."

Jigen looked at her, but remained silent.

"Congratulations," Goemon said to her.

"Thanks," she replied. They all turned towards the gravestone where Lupin and Fujiko still stood.

Lupin continued to stare down at it, not saying anything. He pulled out his gun, released the clip and took out one bullet, placing it on the top of the stone. "I'll see you in hell, Zenigata," he said. He turned to Fujiko and gave a small smile. "Let's go." He took Fujiko's arm in his and together they walked away from Zenigata's grave and joined the others.

The End

* * *

And so concludes the story. The following updates to this will be the sequel. The chapters I think are pretty short, so I will just do away with them and post it in parts. It was supposed to be more of a continuation of this story, but ended up becoming it's own thing.


	12. Bonus : Sequel Part One

**Asgard, Land of Gods**

**Part One**

Lupin sat naked on the bed, a long line of slender and large breasted women standing before him. He salivated and laughed at the sight of them. One by one, the women offered their bodies to him and he did with them as he pleased. The fifth woman stepped forward and in her hands she held a baby wrapped in a blanket. It soon started to cry as Lupin glared at the woman. "A baby? What the hell kind of a joke is this?!" He held his hands up to his ears to block the loud crying.

"Lupin..." a voice called out. "Lupin!"

"Huh?" Lupin was jolted awake from his dreams. He looked up, a glaring Fujiko in his face. "Hi," he said sheepishly.

"You take care of her. I've done it the last three times." She threw herself back on the bed and pulled the blankets up and over her head.

"Yeah, yeah," Lupin grumbled as he got out of bed and walked into the next room. He approached the crib and bent down, staring at his crying daughter. "Hey there," he said softly as he picked her up and held her. "What's with the crying, huh? You hungry or....ugh." He stared down at her diaper and, giving a look of slight disgust, walked over to the changing table.

------------

Fujiko woke up, moving her arm over to the spot on the bed next to her. She grabbed at the sheets and then lifted her head, seeing the bed was empty. She got up and grabbed her robe, putting it on as she walked to the next room. She stopped and stared over at the window, Lupin standing in front of it looking out. "Something wrong?" she asked as she walked over to the crib.

"Couldn't sleep," Lupin answered as he kept his eyes towards the window.

"It's been this way for a year," Fujiko said, looking at Lupin with a worried expression. "If you went to a doctor they could-"

"I already told you, I'm fine. I don't need a doctor." Lupin turned and glared at Fujiko. Without saying anything else, he walked passed her and out the room.

------------

They sat across from each other at the table as breakfast was served. Several times their eyes met and then both would quickly look at something else. Lupin finally focused his eyes on his plate, eating quickly to escape the uncomfortable air that filled the room.

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong?" Fujiko asked.

"It's...it's nothing," Lupin mumbled.

"Arsène Lupin the Third!" Fujiko yelled out in anger as she pounded her fist on the table, making Lupin cringe. "Tell me now. Or am I going to have to force it out of you?"

The thoughts of Fujiko bringing pain to him made him grin. He looked up at her, about to make a small joke, but then shrunk down in his chair as she continued to glare at him. "How can I tell you what I don't know?" he said as he shrugged.

"This is stupid," Fujiko said angrily as she stood up and walked away.

"Huh? Wait. Fujiko." Lupin got up and ran in front of her, putting his hands on her shoulders.

"Get your hands off me!" she yelled as she pushed him away.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm taking Thérèse and leaving." She stopped in front of the stairs and glared at him and then turned and started up them. "I'm sick of your stupid moods and so is Thérèse. She's constantly upset when you're around."

"What? She's five months old. How can you tell what she's feeling?" He glared up at Fujiko as she got to the top of the stairway.

"I'm her mother, Lupin," she said angrily as she kept walking.

"Damn it..." Lupin sighed and then ran up the stairs. "Fujiko, hold on!"

------------

Lupin sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the floor. Fujiko sat across from him in a chair and glared at him. "Well?" she asked.

Lupin sighed and glanced up at her. "I ended my career a loser," he said sadly. "What everyone was saying, I guess it sort of got to me." He bowed his head and stared at the floor again.

Fujiko was a little surprised by what she had just heard, but in the end she had to laugh.

"Huh? What's so funny?" Lupin asked, a little irritated by her response.

"The ending your career part." She looked at Lupin and grinned. "You've been a thief your whole life. Just because you have a family now doesn't mean you have to stop."

"You mean, you wouldn't mind?" His expression became more serious as he thought about it. "No. I want Thérèse to know her father. I never knew mine and..." He turned his head towards the side and stared angrily at the bed.

"Lupin?" Fujiko stared at him, shocked. "So, is this what everything is about? Are you afraid of becoming like-"

"I'm not afraid of anything," Lupin quickly answered, angry at her implication. He glared at her and then stood up, putting his hands in his pockets and walking up to her. He smiled and laughed, bending over to look into her face. "I'm only afraid of losing you and Thérèse." He straightened up and put out his hands for Fujiko to take.

"Lupin..." Fujiko looked up at him and smiled, reaching out and grabbing his hands.

"Come on. Let's go somewhere," he said as he pulled her up and close to him. They stared into each others eyes and then embraced and kissed.

* * *

Inspector Ashida sat at his desk, his mind concentrating so hard on what was in front of him that he jumped when a file was tossed on his desk. He looked at the file and then up at the officer who put it there.

"Inspector, here's some more information on the recent Lupin thefts," the officer said.

"What's it up to now?" Ashida asked as he skimmed over the papers in the file.

"There were three last week, bringing it to twenty-seven."

"Damn." Ashida exhaled deeply, closing the file and tossing it on his desk. "How close are we to wrapping this up?"

"The French government still says it will need solid evidence for us to go and make an arrest."

"And do we have any?"

"Just the flyers."

"That won't be enough." Ashida stared down at his desk and tapped his fingers on the arm of his chair. "Even though the handwriting analysis came up a positive match we still can't prove it was him that wrote them."

"There is an interesting pattern in what was taken at the crime scenes. They all seemed to be ancient scandinavian artifacts."

"So the guy has a new interest," Ashida said, still staring off in thought. "What's the interesting part?"

"Have you heard the story about Frederick Heiden?" The officer sat on the edge of the desk across from Ashida's.

Ashida looked up at the officer, a blank expression on his face. "Does he fit into this?"

"Yeah, well, it's beginning to look like it." The officer gave a nervous laugh.

"Do I really want to know?" Ashida looked down at his desk and fumbled around a pencil.

"Not really. Back in 1898 a man named Frederick Heiden stated that he found a great weapon, one more powerful than any around. Afraid that someone would find it he hid it in a special place. A place he never disclosed to anyone. When he was on his deathbed, it's said that he told his youngest son the location of the weapon, but nothing ever came of it. Supposedly his son thought he was just senile and forgot the whole thing."

Ashida sighed. "I'm not taking this case," he said, rolling his eyes up at the officer.

"Sir?"

"I stupidly took a case similar to this one, about something nobody thought was true and nobody could prove was true. Let's just say I saw more than I ever wanted to see in my life. Crap that no one would believe. Crap that has given me many sleepless nights the past year. I'm not taking this case."

"But I thought the main branch specifically told you to stop the thefts?"

"I'll pin this on Lupin somehow and then arrest him, but as for the other crap, I'm not touching it." Ashida looked up, giving a serious glance at the officer.

* * *

Jigen leaned against the edge of a pool table, the woman he was with preparing her next move. As she bent over to angle the shot, her long brown hair hung down and just brushed the tables surface. She hit the cue ball and forced the six ball into the corner pocket.

"Nice shot," Jigen said as he smiled.

"Yeah, I guess," the woman said as she shrugged, returning the smile. "I want to thank you for coming to see me."

"You're my little sister. Of course I'd come and see you."

"Yeah, but I know you don't want to get involved in anything." She stared at the table with a sad look on her face.

"Hey. Nobody lays a hand on my sister. Especially not your jackass husband."

"Thanks," she said as she looked up and smiled.

"So, are you going back to him?"

"I know it sounds stupid, but I love him."

Jigen looked at her and laughed slightly. "Well, love is stupid."

"So, when are you going to get married?"

"Never," he said as he laughed. "I have no idea, really. I haven't really found anyone willing to put up with me."

"Don't you get lonely, though?"

Jigen looked at her and smiled. "Why don't we go and you can show me around this place, alright?"

"Dodging questions as usual, I see." She looked at him and grinned. "Yeah, let's go. I'm sick of losing to you, anyway." She set the cue on the table and together they walked out.

"Of all the places in the world to live, why St. Louis?" Jigen asked his sister as they walked down the sidewalk.

She laughed and then looked at him. "Come on. It's not that bad. I like it here."

"If you say so."

"It's better than Seattle or wherever you live."

"Lived. And you've never been there, so how would you know?"

"Did you ever go to the markets where you get to throw fish around?" she asked as she grinned.

"Yeah, I went there all the time, Rebecca," he answered sarcastically as he rolled his eyes. "You know how much I love throwing fish at people."

She looked at him and laughed. "You always did make me laugh. Tony was so serious about everything, but you always made me smile when I was feeling down."

He looked at her and smiled. "Yeah, he was, wasn't he." His smile faded as he dwelled on past memories.

"So," she started, trying to change the subject, "what do you do for fun?"

"Nothing much, lately." He looked at her and shrugged. "Life is just pretty boring right now."

"Well, what did you used to do for fun?"

"Work with Lupin," he answered. "Well, it was fun sometimes."

"Yeah, you kind of left on a bad note, huh." She looked up at him sympathetically.

Jigen didn't answer and only stared down at the ground as they walked. Sensing something from behind, he grabbed his sister and dove onto the ground.

A car sped by them, two of the passengers firing above their heads. Jigen looked up as they sped down the street. He got to his feet and ran into the road, pulling out his gun and aiming it at the car that was now too long gone to hit. "Son of a..." he muttered as he reholstered his gun and ran over to his sister. "Are you alright?" he asked, helping her up.

"I'm fine. What was that about?" She looked down the road where the car had gone.

"I'm not sure." He stared down the street and then back at his sister.

------------

"Are you sure you're alright?" Jigen asked his sister once again as they sat in a restaurant and ate dinner.

"I'm fine, really," she said, putting on a forced half-smile.

"Doesn't make me feel any better," he said as he stared at his plate and pushed the food around with his fork.

Rebecca looked up at him and then started to laugh.

Jigen looked up at her and started to get angry. "Yeah, ha ha, I almost got you killed."

"I'm sorry. Really, but..." She stopped as she laughed again. Seeing that Jigen was mad, she forced herself to stop laughing and tried to be serious about the situation. "Look, how do you know they were after you? Drive-bys do happen here."

"It just didn't seem right for some reason."

She stared at him as he sat quietly. "So?"

"I'm going to Japan tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow? But you said-"

"Yeah, I know. I need to check something out, though." He looked up at her as she stared down at her plate, disappointed by the change of plans. "I'll make it up to you somehow. I just have this weird feeling that something is gonna happen."

"So, that wasn't just some random shooting," she said in almost a whisper.

"You should be alright, but just in case I'm gonna make a few phone calls tonight. I know some people here. They'll keep you safe if need be, okay?"

She nodded and smiled. "Yeah, thanks.

* * *

Goemon sat in the dojo of his village and meditated. Lately his dreams were filled with visions of pain and death. Tonight was no exception. And having tried many other things to clear his mind with no results, meditation was the only thing left.

"Those herbs that master gave you didn't work?" a young womans voice asked from behind him.

Goemon didn't move and kept his eyes closed. "You should be asleep, Hana."

Hana, a student of the dojo, was one of the most skilled there in the ways of the naginata. She admired Goemon greatly, as he was the only one who was more skilled than her. She stood in the doorway in her robe, her long black hair hanging down over her shoulders.

"Go back to bed, Hana," Goemon said, almost as if ordering her.

She walked into the dojo and knelt down next to him. "I'm not tired."

Goemon started to become a bit nervous as he felt her thigh touch his. He opened his eyes and looked over at her. She looked up at him and smiled. This made Goemon more nervous as he started to blush and quickly turned his head towards the front and looked down, closing his eyes.

"I...I can get your mind off of all those bad visions," Hana said hesitantly and almost in a whisper as she got up and stood in front of him, taking off her robe to reveal her naked body. She knelt down and ran her hands through his hair as she kissed him on the lips.

Goemon opened his eyes and froze, his heart now beating as fast as it could. He glanced down as she pulled away, catching sight of her breasts. He quickly closed his eyes, putting his right hand over them and turning his head towards the side. "It's not helping me any, Hana," he said through his nervousnous and embarrassment.

Hana looked down at the floor. "Most men would have used me, but you, you're different." She looked up at him and smiled as he continued to cover his eyes. "Thank you," she said softly as she bent forward and kissed him on the cheek. She reached down and grabbed her robe, pulling it back over her shoulders and wrapping herself up. She stood up and was ready to leave when a woman screamed outside.

"Huh?" Goemon looked towards the sound and grabbed his sword. He got up quickly and ran outside, Hana following him. "Gather up everybody and get them out of here," he told her before running into the village.

A few of the buildings were on fire and the residents ran around in a panic. Goemon watched in shock as men on motorcycles rode passed and shot them several times. Angry, he ran towards the men, blocking all the bullets they fired at him and then finally sliced them to death as they rode by.

Cries and shots filled the air all around him as he stood, feeling helpless and not knowing where to go next. Frustrated, he let out a scream and ran towards some of the burning houses, attempting to save the ones fleeing from them.

Hana was gathering up some of the people and leading them into the woods to the north of the village. As she was coming back to gather up more she stopped and watched Goemon as he violently killed a few of the gunmen. A look of worry came over her face and she finally had to force herself away and continue with helping the others.

"Where is Goemon?" a man asked her in a pained voice.

Hana turned and gasped. "Master! You're hurt..." She ran over to help her master as he limped forward, a single bullet shot in his thigh.

"Where is he?" he asked again through the pain he was enduring.

"He's in the village, fighting the intruders."

"That fool. He's the one they are after."

"What? But, why?"

Before the man could answer, a low flying helicopter came towards them. Both were silent as they watched it fly overhead and hover right above the edge of the village. They looked on in shock as two missiles were fired from the helicopter, followed by one large explosion.

Goemon ran and jumped out of the way of the missiles, the blast that followed throwing him through the air where he landed roughly on the ground. He started to rise slowly when one of the gunmen kicked him back down. Goemon looked up at the smirking man who had a long spear resting on his shoulders.

The man laughed as he swung the spear around and quickly struck down, running it through Goemon's right shoulder. He laughed a little louder as Goemon screamed in pain and then jerked the spear up and out of Goemon's body. He eyed Goemon's sword, which he clung to tightly, and stepped on his injured shoulder, making him scream out again. The man bent down and pulled the sword away. He walked off and to a motorcycle, getting on it and riding away. As he did the other gunmen followed, the helicopter rising and also following them away from the village.

"Goemon!" Hana yelled as she ran out to check on him. As she knelt down by him something a few feet away caught her eye. Getting up, she walked over to it and bent down, picking up the paper that was laying there.

"What is it?" Goemon asked as he struggled to get to his knees.

"I don't understand..." she muttered as she handed the paper to Goemon, who looked at it in shock and then anger.

"I will have my revenge," he said, crumpling the paper in his hand.

------------

Jigen drove to what was once a village and got out of the car, walking inside and among the people, who were busy burying the dead. He looked around, wondering what had happened.

Hana was tending to some of the wounded when she looked up and saw Jigen. She tied off the bandage she had wrapped around a womans leg and ran over to him. "Jigen," she called out as she waved.

Jigen looked over as Hana ran up to him. "Hana, what the hell happened here?"

"These men, they just all of a sudden attacked us. Goemon tried to fight them off, but he was attacked and..."

"Did something happen to him?" Jigen asked as he became worried.

"They took his sword and left this..." She pulled out the crumpled paper and handed it to Jigen.

Jigen took it and stared down in shock. "Hey Goemon," Jigen read from the paper, "have fun being a great swordsman without a sword. Lupin." Also on the paper was a grinning caricature of Lupin.

"He said he wanted revenge and then took off."

"Great," Jigen said angrily as he stuffed the paper in his jacket. He pulled out and lit a cigarette and then turned towards the car.

"I'm coming with," Hana said as she followed.  
Jigen looked at her and then shrugged, both getting into the car and leaving the ruined village.


	13. Bonus : Sequel Part Two

**Asgard, Land of Gods**

**Part Two**

Toshiko grabbed a sweater out of her closet and folded it nicely before shoving it in her backpack with all of her other stuff. She started to zip it closed and then stopped as she thought about something.

"Hurry up, Toshiko," her mom hollered from the other room.

"I'll be right there," she answered as she grabbed her backpack and left the room. She looked down the hallway, making sure her mom wasn't in sight, and then made her way into her parents bedroom. She opened the closet and pulled out a small wooden box on the floor. Opening it, she grabbed her step-fathers gun that rested inside and also the clips that layed next to it, shoving all of it inside of her backpack. She quickly closed the box, shoved it back in the closet and closed the door, running out of the room and into the living room where her mom was waiting.

"Do you have everything?" Ayame asked, looking at Toshiko.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm ready," Toshiko said with a smile.

They left the apartment and got inside of their car. Toshiko stared out the window as they made their way to the train station. "Now your uncle will be waiting for you when you arrive. Don't wander and make him wait for an hour like the last time."

"I know. I won't." Toshiko looked at her mom and then down at her lap.

They arrived at the station in Kyoto and Ayame pulled the car up to the front and stopped. "Have fun," she said as she smiled at Toshiko.

"I will," Toshiko replied happily as she got out of the car and walked into the station. She walked up to the counter and waited for the woman there to help her.

"Hi there," the woman said happily. "How can I help you?"

"I had a ticket reservation under the name of Toshiko Zenigata."

The woman typed the name into the computer. "One way to Nagoya?"

"Um, yeah. But could I have that changed to go to Tokyo?"

"There will be an extra charge for that."

"That's alright," Toshiko said, smiling at the woman.

The woman finished the transaction and printed out Toshiko's ticket, handing it to her. "Enjoy your trip," the woman said cheerfully as Toshiko smiled and walked away, heading towards the boarding area.

Toshiko got on the train and sat down. She set her backpack on the floor by her feet and reached in one of the pockets to get her cell phone. She dialed a number and waited. "Hello, uncle? It's me, Toshiko. Something came up and I won't be able to come today. I just wanted to tell you so you don't make that trip to the station. Alright, I love you." She flipped the phone closed and sat back in her seat, staring out the window.

The train took off and after some time stopped at the Tokyo station. Toshiko got off and walked outside, going to one of the busses that took people to Narita airport. She boarded it and once again stared out the window as the bus travelled to the unloading area at the airport.

The bus stopped, the people filing out and walking inside of the main terminal. Toshiko wandered around and found the Air France ticket area. There she purchased a ticket for Paris and left her backpack. Seeing that her flight was boarding in almost an hour she found someplace to get some food, ate, and then wandered, making her way to where her plane was sitting, being cleaned for the next set of passengers.

Finding a place to sit, she did so, pulling a newspaper clipping out of her back pocket and staring at it. On the paper was a photo of four bearded men, all of them tied up and blindfolded, the caption under it saying they were taken from their houses in Manizales, Columbia by a group of mafia members. She sighed, folding the paper up and placing it back in her pocket. She stared at the floor as she waited for the plane to be ready.

* * *

"What did they say?" Ashida asked one of the officers near him as he bent down near a slain samurai.

"They said there were some men who rode in on motorcycles and then a group of men ran in and starting shooting and stabbing anyone they saw."

"Could anyone make some sort of description of who they were?" Ashida stood up and looked around the half destroyed village.

"One man said a Goemon fought them off and then seemed very angry afterwards and left."

"Goemon?" Ashida asked, looking at the officer. He reached in his jacket pocket and pulled out a wanted flyer. "Where is this man?"

"They're treating him over there," the officer said as he pointed to an almost intact building.

Ashida walked over, the man looking up at him as he did. Ashida nodded and then held out the flyer. "Is this the Goemon you were talking about?" he asked as he pointed to Goemon's picture.

"Yes," the man said, his voice hoarse. "And that was the man who Hana left with." The man pointed up to Jigen's picture.

Ashida looked down at the flyer and grinned. "Thank you, sir," he said as he turned and left.

"Inspector?" an officer called out as Ashida walked by him. "This man has some more information." Standing next to him was Master Misume, his arm and leg in bandages.

"I have something to show you," Misume said as he and Ashida walked towards a large half burnt building.

"So, in this village, what is your role?"

"I am one of the teachers of the dojo," Misume said as they reached the building. "I have trained Goemon for many years, off and on."

"So you know him pretty well?" Ashida followed him inside and was surprised to see most of the interior survived.

Misume laughed. "The only person who knows Goemon is Goemon. He likes to keep most of his thoughts to himself." He walked over to an area in the floor and removed a small portion of it, lifting out a small metal box. He took it over to a table and set it down, removing the lid. Inside were various pieces of paper rolled up. "I had received these over the last five months," Misume said stepping aside to let Ashida look over the contents.

Ashida pulled out one of the papers and unrolled it. "Interesting," he said as he read, the note threatening to take Goemon's sword, the bottom of it signed by Lupin. Each note was basically the same, the newer they got the more threatening the writing was. "Did he ever see these?"

"I...I never showed them to him," Misume said as he bowed his head. "Lupin had come here many years ago trying to steal our clans alchemy formula, the one that crafted the zantestuken Goemon holds. Seeing a great potential in Goemon, Lupin formed a truce with him and they started working together. I just thought that if Goemon saw these notes that he would place the blame of not seeing Lupin's true nature upon himself."

"So, why would Lupin want his sword? Wouldn't the formula be more important?"

Misume shrugged. "I don't know. I don't even think it was Lupin behind this."

"And why do you say that?"

"Lupin wasn't among any of those men. And destroying our village and killing our people, he wouldn't do that. As a friend of Goemon, we welcomed him to this village."

Ashida sighed. "All right, so these men come, attack, take the sword and then leave. What happened next?"

"Goemon was injured, so he wrapped his wounds and then he ran off. Hana and me, we tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen."

"Is Hana another teacher?"

"No, she's a student here. She and Goemon are good friends."

"Okay, so then he leaves and Jigen showed up when."

"He came about four hours later, talked to Hana and then they drove off."

Ashida stared down at the flyers in his hand and sighed. "It's the same writing," he said in a low voice. "What the hell is going on?"

* * *

Fujiko sat in bed flipping through a fashion magazine as Lupin slept next to her. She was busy reading an article when her eyes became unfocused on the words as she sensed something wasn't right. "Lupin," she whispered as she nudged him.

"Huh?" he muttered as he half came out of his sleep.

"Shh," she said quietly as she grabbed her gun placed in between the two mattresses.

Lupin looked at her, a perplexed look on his face as he watched her tiptoe over to the bedroom door. He reached under his pillow and grabbed his gun, quietly getting out of bed and sneaking into the next room. Leaning against the wall next to the door, he waited.

Fujiko remained still and silent as the bedroom door opened, a dark figure entering. She reached over and flipped the lights on. "Don't move," she said as she pointed her gun to the figure that was no longer there. "What?" She backed up, pointing her gun around the room, searching for the person she saw.

Lupin glanced over as the door connecting the two rooms opened and closed, the light coming from the bedroom showing the silhouette of someone. Before Lupin could act he was tackled against the wall, his gun falling to the floor as he was being choked. He kneed the person in the stomach and pryed the hands loose.

Fujiko ran to the next room as she heard her daughter start to cry and the sounds of a struggle taking place. She grabbed a vase setting on a nearby table and entered the room.

Lupin punched the person, forcing them back into the light coming in from the bedroom. "What?!" he said, shocked when he saw the person. "Goemon. What the hell are you doing?" he asked as he dodged Goemon's attempt to kick him in the midsection.

Fujiko ran up and forced the vase down on Goemon's head, the shards of ceramic spraying around the room as Goemon fell to the floor unconscious. She looked up at Lupin and then they both looked down at Goemon.

----

"I see our guest isn't awake, yet," Fujiko said as she joined Lupin at the table for breakfast.

"Nope," Lupin said with a smile. "But when he does he will have wished he never came here."

"Did you ever find his sword?"

"He came without it." Lupin shrugged. "Maybe he thinks I had something to do with it going missing or something."

Fujiko looked up at him and paused for a few seconds. "And did you?"

"Come on, Fujiko. I learned my lesson of never messing with his sword, even as a joke." He looked at Fujiko and shook his head.

"Like that time you painted the blade pink," she said as she smiled.

Lupin laughed. "You will have to admit, that was pretty good. I still have that picture I took of the look on his face."

Fujiko laughed as she thought back. "Yeah and then he put those caltrops on your car seat the next day."

"What I did was funny. What he did was just cruel. I couldn't sit for a week." He became mad as he thought about all he had to go through during those long and grueling seven days.

"And so now this is your long awaited chance for payback, right?"

Lupin looked at her and smiled. "Of course." He stood up and walked into the next room, Goemon tied up and hanging upside down from the rafters of the den. "So, I see you're finally awake," he said as he sat down and stared at Goemon.

"Let me go," Goemon said as he struggled to get out of the ropes.

"First tell me why you came here and attacked me."

"Why don't you tell me why you sent men to attack my village and then steal my sword?" Goemon glared at Lupin.

Lupin laughed. "What are you talking about? If I wanted your sword don't you think I would have gone there and stolen it myself?"

"Then why did one of the men leave your note for me to read?"

"Why would I have somebody leave a note?"

Fujiko sighed as she was beginning to get angry. "Look, enough with the questions. This is getting us nowhere."

"Alright, fine," Lupin said as he glared at Goemon. "I didn't send anybody to your village. I would have no reason to. And I would have no reason to cause a big scene over your sword."

"Why don't you tell the truth for once, Lupin?" Goemon asked as he became more furious.

Lupin sighed and stared forward. "Alright," he said with a sigh as he stood up. He placed a hand on Goemon's bound up legs and then pulled it forward, causing Goemon to spin around quickly. "And if you throw up on the floor you're cleaning it up," he said as he walked out of the room.

Fujiko bowed her head, placing her hand on her forehead and sighing. She then followed Lupin into the next room. "And what did that prove?"

Lupin looked at her and grinned. "Nothing. I'm just messing with him." He laughed.

"This isn't a joke, Lupin," Fujiko said seriously. "He could have killed you."

"Highly unlikely," Lupin said, seemingly not worried about what could have happened.

"So, do you have any idea what he's talking about?"

"Nope," Lupin said with a shrug. "He probably had some bad sake or something and is delirious. Who knows."

"Whatever it is, I just hope it never happens again." Fujiko looked over towards the den and then back at Lupin, a worried look on her face.

* * *

Jigen and Hana rushed to their rental car and got in. Jigen backed out of the parking space quickly and then sped off away from the airport. "And you're sure that Lupin had nothing to do with this?" Hana asked.

"From what you said, guys with machine guns and a helicopter shooting missiles at some village isn't really his thing." Jigen lit up a cigarette as they waited at a red light. He pulled out the flyer from the village and stared at it. "It looks like something he'd do, but the writing isn't his and the words are all wrong."

"So, then who would do something like this?"

"How am I supposed to know. Could be a lot of people. Lupin was always good at pissing people off."

"So," Hana started as she looked at the passing scenery, "what happened between you two?"

"Hmm?" Jigen glanced at Hana. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know," Hana said as she stared down at the floor of the car. "From what you said on the plane, I just thought you two weren't speaking."

Jigen stared straight ahead as he drove, silent for a few seconds before answering. "We got drunk, said some stupid things and that was that."

"Goemon says stupid things to me sometimes, but I always just laugh them off. It's not worth losing a friend over."

"Yeah, what's the deal with you two?" Jigen asked as he glanced at Hana.

"Huh?" Hana looked at Jigen and then quickly turned and stared out the window as she began to blush. "We're just friends, that's all."

Jigen grinned. "Yeah, I've heard that one before." He turned the car down a small, tree lined road. "And besides, Goemon saying stupid things isn't unusual."

"You say that only because you don't understand what he means," Hana replied as she continued to stare out the window.

"Or maybe I could care less about some so-called brilliant words of a dead guy." He pulled up to tall wrought iron gates, a speaker and number pad setting to the side of the entrance. "Let's hope the bastard didn't change the code," he mumbled as he pressed various number keys. He looked up as the gates began to open, driving in when they were done moving.

"The words spoken by our ancient masters are brilliant. You're just to stupid to get them." Hana glared at Jigen.

Jigen looked over at her, laughing slightly and shaking his head in disbelief. He stopped the car as he pulled up to the front of a large house, opening the door and stepping outside.

"What's so funny?" Hana asked as she got out.

"It's just that you take everything I say so seriously."

Hana didn't say anything, but instead continued to glare as they walked up to the front doors. She reached over and rang the doorbell. "Maybe you just take my responses too seriously," she said as she looked up at him and smiled.

Jigen rolled his eyes and groaned as Hana nudged him kiddingly. They both looked towards the door as it opened, Lupin standing and looking at them.

"He called you a bastard," Hana said, pointing to Jigen as she slipped passed Lupin and inside the house.

"Huh?" Lupin looked back at her, wondering why she was in his house. "Hey! Do I know you?" He turned and looked at Jigen. "And what the hell do you want?"

"Nice to see you, too," he said as he also slipped by Lupin and into the house.

"Wow," Hana said as she looked around the entry. "You live here?"

"Lupin, who was at-" Fujiko stopped as she walked in and saw Hana and Jigen.

"Hey," Jigen said as he smiled at her.

"Hi there," Hana said as she glanced at Fujiko momentarily and then went back to looking at the interior of the house.

"So," Jigen said as he looked over at an unhappy Lupin, "did Goemon show up here?"

"Yeah, he tried to kill me. Why do you care?" Lupin stared at Jigen.

"So he's here?" Hana asked.

"Here," Jigen said as he thrust the flyer at Lupin. "It was left where Goemon was attacked. It might interest you."

Lupin grabbed the flyer and looked down at it. "This is the note he was talking about?" He looked back at Fujiko, who had just walked up behind him and was looking over his shoulder at the note.

"So, what'd you do with him?" Jigen asked.

"I tied him up. He's back in the den." He looked at Jigen as he walked towards the back room. "You can take him with you when you leave."

Hana followed Jigen to the room and gasped when she saw Goemon hanging upside down. "Goemon!" she said as she ran up to him, pulling a small knife from one of her boots and cutting him down. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he answered in a sickly voice.

"Once you have some of my tea, you should feel a lot better," she said as she helped him to the couch and sat him down.

Jigen sat down in a chair and started to talk to Goemon, Hana also joining in on the conversation as Fujiko took Lupin aside to talk to him.

"Any idea who would do this?" she asked him.

Lupin shrugged. He glanced in the den and stared at Jigen.

"I don't see why you can't accept his apology," Fujiko said with a sigh. "You're acting like a child."

Lupin turned and glared at her. "And your point?"

Fujiko groaned in frustration, walking out to the den and joining the others


	14. Bonus : Sequel Part Three

**Asgard, Land of Gods**

**Part Three**

Hana layed in bed in one of the guest bedrooms and stared down at Goemon, who sat on the floor meditating. "I'm glad Fujiko invited us to stay the night," she said.

"Yes, it was nice of her," he said.

"Yeah. Especially after you tried to kill her husband."

Goemon opened his eyes and looked at her. "And one of these days I will succeed in killing him," he said seriously.

"Huh?" Hana asked, giving him a look of confusion.

Goemon closed his eyes and turned his head to the front. "Go to sleep, Hana," he said before returning to his meditation.

"Fine," Hana said as she turned her back towards him and layed her head down.

----

Jigen sat in the window seat, busy cleaning his gun by the light of the moon. He paused momentarily as a quiet knock sounded on the door. "Yeah," he said as he continued cleaning.

The door opened slowly and Lupin walked in. "Hey," he said, closing the door quietly behind him.

"Something wrong?" Jigen asked as he looked up at Lupin.

"Uh, no, nothing's wrong." Lupin grabbed a chair and sat in it backwards, resting his chin on the back of it.

"So, spit it out."

Lupin sighed. "I don't know. It's just...I guess you were right."

Jigen laughed and shook his head. "No, I wasn't right. I already took back what I said, Lupin. Stop blaming yourself."

"But, I let everyone down," Lupin said in a whiny voice.

Jigen finished cleaning his gun and the started to re-assemble it. "Geez, what happened to you?" he asked as he holstered his now complete gun. "Have you been thinking about this the whole time?"

"I try not to, but then when I sleep I have these nightmares and everything comes back." Lupin stared at the floor and sighed.

"So you refuse to sleep," Jigen said as he walked to the door.

"Fujiko is worried about me, but I can't talk to her about it because she'll just laugh at me," Lupin explained, not noticing Jigen.

"And she would have a good reason to laugh," Jigen said as he opened the door slowly and peaked out. "Nightmares won't kill you and they'll eventually go away."

"Yeah, I know that, but how long is 'eventually'?" Lupin looked up at Jigen and wondered what he was doing.

Jigen stepped out into the hallway and looked around. "Did you hear something?" he asked Lupin quietly.

"No," he said as he pulled out his gun and walked to the door.

Hearing the noise again, they both snuck out into the hallway. As they made their way down the stairs they noticed one of the windows pulled open. They split up at the bottom, Lupin going to the left and Jigen going to the right.

Lupin made his way through the kitchen and towards the dining room when he stopped. He stepped towards the side, pressing himself up against a wall and waiting. He put his arm out to the side just as someone walked by, pointing his gun at the person's head. "Don't do anything stupid," he said as the person froze.

The lights in the dining room went on, Jigen standing near the switch. He looked at the person and was surprised. "You? What the hell are you doing here?"

"Why does she look familiar?" Lupin asked.

"Because she's Zenigata's daughter," Jigen said as he walked up to her.

"She is?" Lupin asked as he put his gun away.

"So?" Jigen asked as he stared down at Toshiko.

----

Lupin walked into the den and handed Toshiko a can of soda. He then sat down next to Jigen, who sat on a couch across from where Toshiko was sitting. "Well?" Lupin asked. "What's so important that you had to break into my house?"

Toshiko stared down at the soda can in her hands. "I...I need your help."

"And it couldn't wait until morning?" Lupin asked.

"It is morning," Toshiko argued.

Jigen gave a slight laugh and looked at Lupin. "She got you there."

Lupin glared at Jigen and then turned back to Toshiko. "I meant..." Lupin sighed in frustration. "Nevermind."

"I saw this in the newspaper," Toshiko started as she pulled out the paper from her back pocket and held it out, Lupin taking it. "And nobody would listen to me, so I thought you would."

Lupin and Jigen looked at the picture and then looked at each other. "When did you get this?" Lupin asked.

"About three months ago." She looked at both of them. "You see it, don't you? The man on the end?"

"It does look like him," Jigen said as he stared at the picture.

Lupin handed the paper back and stood up, walking out of the room.

"Huh? Hey, Lupin." Jigen turned and looked at him.

"I know what I saw," Lupin said, his back turned towards the two. "Zenigata is dead." He continued to walk out of the room.

"Let me go talk to him," Jigen said as he got up and followed Lupin, leaving Toshiko alone.

----

Lupin sat outside on the stone railing in front of his house and stared at the sky as it started to become light. He turned his head slightly as Jigen walked out and leaned against a pillar next to him. "None of this makes sense."

"None of what makes sense?" Jigen asked as he lit up a cigarette.

"Someone pretending to be me and stealing Goemon's sword and then that picture..."

"So, you do think it's him." Jigen then looked over at Lupin. "What do you think is going on?"

Lupin sat silently as he thought. "Earlier you were saying how you were shot at."

"Yeah, when I was with my sister. The guy in the car looked like Ivan Federov."

"And those guys in that picture were part of a Russian mob, just like Federov," Lupin said as if thinking out loud. "Maybe we should just start with him."

Jigen smiled, ready for some action in his recently boring life. They both headed inside the house.

----

When everyone was up, Lupin got them all together in the dining area to discuss the recent findings. The picture Toshiko had was passed around and some info on Ivan Federov was shared.

"So, if he's involved," Fujiko started, "what is he trying to find by taking Goemon's sword and Zenigata?"

Lupin shrugged. "We'll find that out when we capture him."

"I don't know if I really want to mess with the Russian mob," Hana said doubtfully.

Lupin gave a slight laugh. "I wouldn't worry about it. If anything you'll be making more friends than enemies on this job."

"Federov is the enemy of one of the biggest mob organizations in Russia," Jigen explained. "But because he mostly remains overseas in hiding, they haven't been able to take care of him."

"So, what makes you think that we'll be able to find him?" Hana asked.

"I know people they don't," Lupin said with a smile.

"I'm coming with you," Toshiko said as she sat up and looked at Lupin.

Lupin shrugged. "I guess I can't really stop you."

"She might get in the way," Goemon said as he stared at her.

"I agree," Hana said.

Jigen looked at Hana and laughed. "For someone who's afraid of the mob, you sure sound confident."

Hana glared at him. "She has no experience."

"And I could say the same of you," Jigen said, now getting glared at by Hana and Goemon. "Just give the kid a chance. She has a reason for going along, too."

"Fujiko?" Lupin asked as he looked at her.

"I'm with Jigen on this one," she replied.

"Then it's settled," Lupin said. "She's coming with." He looked at Toshiko and grinned and she smiled back.

"What about her parents?" Goemon asked. "Shouldn't they have a say, too?"

"Haha," Hana said as she looked at Toshiko with a big grin.

Toshiko glared back and then looked at Lupin. "It's alright. They won't mind. Really."

Lupin looked at her and sighed. "He's right about this one. The last thing I want to be right now is accused of kidnapping."

"Aww," Toshiko whined as she sat back in her chair.

* * *

"We'll meet you there, alright?" Lupin said as Jigen and Toshiko got into the rented car.

Jigen gave a wave as he stepped in and sat down, putting the keys in the ignition and starting the car.

"Nice car," Toshiko said as she put her seatbelt on.

Jigen gave her a sideways look. "It's a rental," he said as he pulled out of the driveway.

"Oh," Toshiko said. Not finding anything to talk about she stared out the window, keeping quiet for the rest of the trip.

----

"Do you think Thérèse will be alright?" Fujiko asked as Lupin drove.

"She'll be fine," he answered, looking over and smiling at Fujiko. "Madeline will take good care of her."

"If you're so worried then why didn't you stay with her?" Goemon asked.

Lupin looked up at Goemon in the rear view mirror and glared at him. "We're not going to be gone that long. She'll be fine, okay?"

Hana sighed. "This is going to be a fun trip," she said under her breath.

----

After arriving at the airport, they all met up in the lobby. "I'll go get the tickets," Lupin said, more than willing to volunteer himself.

"Yeah," Jigen said as he looked at everyone who stood around bored. "So, anyone know where the hell we're going?"

The others answered with shaking heads and blank faces.

"I want to go to New York," Toshiko said as she stared at the floor.

"Yeah, well I doubt they dragged your dad to New York," Hana said. "Or did that thought even cross your mind?" She looked at Toshiko and glared at her.

Jigen stared at Hana. "Just shut up, alright?"

"I think I'll see if Lupin needs help," Fujiko said as she walked off towards the ticket counter.

"Wish I'd thought of that," Toshiko mumbled.

Jigen and Goemon looked at one another, each giving an uncomfortable look.

"Hey Goemon," Hana said as she grabbed his arm. "Let's go watch the planes take off."

"Um, okay," Goemon said as he was dragged off.

"Have fun," Jigen said as he watched them leave. He looked around and then looked down at Toshiko, who was staring off and daydreaming. He sighed as he stood and waited for Lupin and Fujiko to return.

----

"Do you think this whole thing is a mistake?" Lupin asked Fujiko as they stood in line.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Leaving Thérèse, taking Zenigata's daughter with us, getting involved in this whole thing."

"Everything will be fine, like you said." She looked up at him and smiled.

"But, I highly doubt her parents would allow her to just go off like that."

"Maybe she didn't call them. Maybe she was just talking to time."

Lupin groaned in frustration. "Great. This whole thing is turning out just great."

"Calm down, Lupin. It'll be over soon."

----

"Can I tell you something?" Toshiko asked Jigen as they stood around.

"Yeah, sure. I guess."

"I kind of lied to everyone." She looked up at him, the expression on her face showing she was expecting to get yelled at.

"So your parents didn't want you to come," Jigen said. "That's not much of a shock, kid."

"But, there's more." She smiled and laughed nervously.

"Which is?" Jigen stared seriously at her.

"Well, my stepdad got kind of mad because I took his gun and he said he wanted me to come home and I said I wasn't going to and then he yelled some more and threatened to call the police, so I told him to go ahead and I hung up."

Jigen stared at her and then shook his head and laughed. "Having to avoid the police is nothing new to us." He looked at her and smiled.

"So, you're not mad at me?"

"Not really. Just don't mention this to the others, alright? I'm sure they won't be too happy."

She looked up at him and smiled. "Alright, thanks."

"So, what kind of gun does your stepdad have?"

"It's a Smith and Wesson 1911."

"That's a nice model. Show it to me later, alright?"

"Alright, sure," she said as she smiled at him.

"You two ready?" Lupin asked as he and Fujiko walked up to them.

"Yeah," Jigen answered. "Goemon and Hana went to watch the planes."

"We'll get them on the way to the plane," Lupin said as he started to walk off.

"Where are we going?" Toshiko asked as she started to follow him.

"Vancouver, British Columbia," he answered. "Hopefully we'll get some answers there."

* * *

"Alright, thank you." Ashida hung up the phone as he wrote down some information. "Well, we may be able to get him on something if not the thefts."

An officer working with him looked up as he sat at the desk facing Ashida. "And what's that?"

"A man called earlier saying his daughter had run away. The ironic thing is that it's Inspector Zenigata's daughter. I never thought that name would help me, but it may just help me to arrest Lupin."

"And how is that? If she ran away, whats Lupin have to do with this?"

"I had some officers look into it. Seems she was supposed to go to her meet her uncle in Nagoya, but when she got to the station she had her ticket changed to take her to Tokyo. Her uncle said she had called saying she wasn't able to make it. And then at Narita Airport the woman at the Air France counter was able to positively ID Toshiko's photo, saying she had bought a ticket to Paris."

"So, you think she went to meet Lupin?"

"Her father said she took off with his gun." Ashida paused and looked up at the officer. "Maybe the anger got to her and she went seeking revenge."

"And how do we turn this against Lupin?"

"We may be able to turn it into a kidnapping case," Ashida said. "If the girl hates Lupin that much it won't take too much to get her to lie."

The officer looked down, doubtful it would work. "This whole thing could blow up in our faces, though."

"We'll make it work. It's the only thing we have on him. If we make our case against the French government then-" He stopped as the phone rang and picked it up. "Inspector Ashida." He listened to the other person, his face showing that he liked what he heard. "Alright, thanks. We'll head out right away."

"Something good?"

"We have a witness saying that Lupin, Fujiko, Jigen and Goemon were at the airport in Paris and that they had Toshiko with them. They also said that she didn't look too happy." His phone rang again and he picked it up, once again getting some important information. He hung up the phone and smiled. "This is it. They bought tickets to Vancouver and also it just so happens one of Interpols informants has information on a drug deal about to take place in the same city. And the man buying the drugs is an informant of Lupin's." Ashida stood up and put on his coat and hat.

"So, we're going to Vancouver?" the officer asked as he stood up and got ready.

"We'll go there, set up a team with the local police, arrest the informant while he's making the deal and then get him to tell us where Lupin is. And now that we know he's there, we'll have the city surrounded so he won't be able to get out unless he's in handcuffs and led by police." Ashida laughed. "Plus, he won't be protected by the French government while in Canada."

* * *

Toshiko, Hana and Jigen spent most of the flight asleep. Goemon sat and meditated while Fujiko read a magazine. Lupin sat quietly and stared out the window.

"You okay?" Fujiko asked Lupin.

He broke away from thought and looked at her. "I'm fine," he said as he smiled.

Fujiko sighed as she closed up the magazine and set it aside. "Tell me the truth," she said as she stared into his eyes. "Please."

Lupin stared back at her and then turned his head and looked out the window. "I'm just trying to make sense out of all of this."

"So something is bothering you?"

"How could he still be alive?" he asked. "All this time and he never showed himself once. And then suddenly he just appears. But why?" He turned and looked back at Fujiko, who stared at him, not knowing what he was talking about. Lupin looked away and sighed.

"You're not talking about Zenigata, are you?" she asked, getting no answer as Lupin sat quietly looking out the window.

----

The plane landed and everyone got off. As they walked outside of the airport Lupin stopped, the others doing the same and looking at him. "Alright," he started, "here's the plan. Federov is being stalled by a friend of mine. As of now they are some seafood packing plant, so I need everyone to do as I say to get this plan to work."

The others nodded and then continued to listen to Lupins plan. When they got all the info they split into groups, each heading to the plant.

----

Goemon and Hana arrived first. Together they snuck up towards the north end of the large building, hiding behind a large dumpster. Five men with guns slung over their shoulders stood guard near the back doors.

"Must be some expensive fish they have in there," Hana said as she glared at the guards.

"We'll stay here until we see the signal," Goemon said as he scoped the surrounding areas.

"Great," Hana said as she held her nose from the smell of old fish parts coming from the dumpster.

----

Jigen and Toshiko ran up to the east end of the building, hiding behind the cab of a semi. Looking around, Jigen spotted three armed men standing guard. "I see he's brought some friends."

Toshiko saw the men and then looked around, trying to get an idea of what to do next. "How long until Lupin comes?"

"Soon," he answered. "We need to think of something quickly."

"Maybe if we distract them with something."

"And what would be something?" Jigen asked. "We can't make them suspicious or this whole plan will go to hell." He looked off towards the west, noticing two black helicopters coming towards them. "Huh?"

"What's wrong?" Toshiko asked as she looked towards the helicopters.

----

"Something isn't right," Goemon said as he looked around.

"I feel it, too" Hana said as she looked up at him. They looked towards the warehouse as police sirens wailed in the distance. The guards ran inside and then came out with some others, all of them now heavily armed. The cop cars began to approach the building.

----

"What's going on?" Toshiko asked as the three armed men ran inside. Just then sirens were heard.

"Dammit!" Jigen pulled out his gun and ran to the end of the semi trailer, peaking around it.

"The police?" Toshiko ran up behind him and peaked around. "But, how did they know to come here?"

Jigen stood in anger, not sure of how the plan would unfold with the new distraction. "Come on," he said as he ran out from the trailer and towards where Goemon and Hana were positioned.

The two were still behind the dumpster, standing and watching as the cops and guards were now firing at one another. Sensing something from behind, they both turned ready to attack.

"Whoa, hold on," Jigen said quickly as they turned towards him.

"Jigen," Goemon said in relief. "Why are the police here?"

"I don't know," Jigen answered. "But we need to finish this plan before Federov gets away. If he hasn't already."

"Right," Goemon said with a nod. He and Jigen ran out towards the building, Toshiko and Hana following as all of them snuck by easily as both the guards and cops were too busy to notice.

Jigen shot the door open as they approached, running in first and shooting some men who ran towards them. "You two stay here, alright?" he told Toshiko and Hana.

"Alright," Toshiko said as she watched Jigen and Goemon run off.

"Hmph, I'm not a child," Hana said as she started after them.

"We're supposed to stay..." Toshiko said as Hana ran up ahead. "Rrr, so annoying," she muttered as she ran after her.

Jigen and Goemon split up, each searching a side of the building. They then met up again in the middle. "He must have gotten away, dammit," Jigen said in anger as he looked around.

"Goemon!" Hana yelled out as she ran up to him.

Goemon looked over at her and then noticed someone up in the rafters. "Hana, look out!" he yelled as he ran towards her.

Jigen aimed his gun at the man, but before he could fire a shot went off and echoed throughout the building.

Hana turned in shock as the man from above fell and landed dead a few feet from her. She then looked up to a stunned Toshiko, who still held her gun up as she stared at the man she had just shot.

Jigen smiled and reholstered his gun. "Nice shot," he said as he walked towards Hana and Goemon.

Hana smiled at Toshiko. "Thank you."

"No problem," Toshiko said, still a little shocked by what she had done.

"We need to hurry before the police-" Goemon started to say, interrupted by a group of policemen bursting into the warehouse and surrounding them. They all put their hands in the air, the cops approaching and taking their weapons before handcuffing them.

* * *

"So," Ashida said as he walked up to the jail cell, everyone ignoring him, "looks like we outsmarted you this time." He laughed as a smug look came over his face. "Not so talkative now, are we?"

Jigen looked up at him and scoffed. "Just what the hell do you want?"

"I want your pal Lupin," Ashida said as he leaned against the wall and crossed his arms.

Jigen laughed. "Have fun finding him."

"Will you let us out if we tell you?" Hana asked.

"Hana," Goemon said in surprise.

"What?" Hana turned and looked at him. "I mean, look at what he did to you. And plus you were the one who said you were going to kill him."

"Huh?" Jigen said as he stared at Goemon. "What is she talking about?"

"I said I would kill him one day." He glanced at Jigen and then back at Hana. "But as of now, you turn on Lupin and you turn on all of us, Hana."

Hana looked down at the floor and sighed. "Fine."

Ashida looked down at Toshiko and then motioned an officer over. "Get the girl out of here and contact her parents."

"What?" Toshiko looked up at him. "I'm not going anywhere," she protested.

Ashida stared at her in confusion. "Is that what they told you to say?"

"No. Why would they tell me that?"

"Well, they did kidnap you after all."

Jigen looked at Ashida and laughed. "Kidnapped? I guess you're not as smart as you would like to think."

"They didn't kidnap me," Toshiko said. "They're helping me find my father."

"Your father?" Ashida looked down, now more confused than before. "What the hell is going on here?"

"That's what we'd like to know," Jigen said as he stood up. "Show him that photo," he told Toshiko.

Toshiko stood up, pulling out the photo and handing it to Ashida, who stared at it in shock. He handed it back to her. "I thought he died," he said, almost as if saying it to himself.

"We did, too," Jigen said. "We were after a guy named Federov. He was supposed to be in that factory and we were going to nab him until you showed up and ruined everything." He glared at Ashida.

"We caught everyone still standing and there were no Federov's among them or the dead." Ashida stared at Jigen. "Are you sure you had the right place?"

"There was a guy, Lupin said it was an informant. Is there anyone you caught associated with Lupin?" Jigen asked.

"Besides you four, no," Ashida answered. He stared off into space as he thought. "Frederick Heiden," he muttered. "Oh my god," he said as he thought of something.

"Who's Frederick Heiden?" Toshiko asked. "Can he help us?"

"They're trying to get Gram," Ashida muttered. "She was telling the truth..."

"Who is 'she'?" Jigen asked in frustration. "And who is Gram?"

"Valerie Rowls," Ashida said. "Before we worked at Interpol, me and Zenigata worked together on this case. Valerie, we all thought she was just this crazy woman, the way she babbled on about meeting the Gods and retrieving their gift to her. She got violent. We told her we'd take her to get the gift, just as a way to shut her up. She gave us this map that she said her father drew out and we got in a plane and flew there."

"And you got what she wanted?" Toshiko asked.

"The place was supposed to be off the coast of Norway, but when we got there it was way out in the ocean somewhere. We didn't see anything, so we turned to leave. Only Valerie didn't want to leave. She got out of the handcuffs and opened the door, jumping out and falling to her death. We came back home and closed the case."

"What does this have to do with Gram?" Jigen asked.

"That's what she was after," Goemon said, the others looking at him. "Gram is a powerful sword in Norse mythology. It is said that just by holding it you would be invincible."

"Not again," Jigen said with a sigh.

"Lately there has been a string of robberies that have been pinned on Lupin," Ashida said. "Everything taken has to do with ancient Scandinavia. The mob must have taken Zenigata because of his connection to the sword's whereabouts. And the thefts must be... We're running out of time." He turned and ran off down the hallway as the others looked on.

"Running out of time for what?" Jigen hollered. "Hey!"

"How long ago did they work on this case?" Hana asked as she looked at Toshiko.

"I don't know," Toshiko said with a shrug. "My dad got into Interpol shortly after I was born."

"And he's supposed to remember something that happened over fourteen, fifteen years ago?" Hana gave everyone an unsure look.

"Fourteen," Toshiko said as she reached behind her head and pulled out a hairpin. She straightened it, walked over to the door and fiddled with the lock as the others watched.

"Your dad know you can do that?" Jigen asked with a grin.

"Who do you think I learned it from?" she said, grinning back. The lock clicked and she pushed the door open.

"Great," Jigen said happily as he stepped out the door. "Now to get our weapons and find Lupin."


	15. Bonus : Sequel Part Four

**Asgard, Land of Gods**

**Part Four**

Lupin woke up and looked around. He noticed he was tied down to a table somewhere in a cold, damp and messy room. "Where...?" he asked, his voice groggy.

"Well, well, well," a man said as he walked down the concrete steps and up to Lupin. "I see we're awake." The man looked down at him and laughed.

Lupin looked up at the man in shock. It was as if he were looking at himself, although the man was some years older and had a short and neatly trimmed beard and mustache. He glared at the man and then looked off to the side. "You're supposed to be dead."

The man laughed again. "But, you knew I wasn't, right? Or at least that's what your wife told me."

Lupin looked at him in anger. "What'd you do to her? Where is she?"

"Relax, son," he said in mock sympathy. "As soon as we get a compromise worked out, you two can be all happy and lovey again."

"And this compromise would be what," Lupin said as he turned his head away fom the man.

"You help me get the sword I want. Father and son, working side by side. Soon the Lupin family will rule the world." The man smiled deviously.

"So, hiding in the shadows isn't doing anything for you?" Lupin turned his head and glared at the man.

The man stopped smiling and pulled out his gun, pointing it at Lupin and firing four times, cutting the ropes that bound his wrists and ankles. "Your answer," he demanded as Lupin sat up and looked at him.

"I'll answer you if you answer me."

"Fine."

"Where's Zenigata?"

"Do you agree to help me?"

"Yeah."

"All right. He's in a prison in Norway. We have him feeding us information on the swords whereabouts."

"I want to see Fujiko," Lupin said as he got off the table.

The man smirked. "If it'll make you happy." He led Lupin out of the room and down various hallways. As he got to a solid metal door he stopped and stared at it. "She's in here."

"I don't believe you."

"You sure are a suspicious bastard," the man said with a laugh.

"Give me one good reason why I should trust you," Lupin said in a serious tone.

The man shook his head and mumbled something under his breath while he got the key and unlocked the door. Inside the darkened room was Fujiko, who lifted her head and smiled, getting up and running over to Lupin. The two embraced as the man looked on. "There, you see?" the man said.

"Are you all right?" Lupin asked her.

"I'm fine," she answered with a smile. Her smile faded as she looked back at the man.

"Now, you have what you want," the man said. "I kept my part of the deal and now you keep yours."

"Yeah," Lupin sighed as he wrapped his arm around Fujiko, who brought her arm up to his. Pressing a button on his watch, a small needle shot out of it and pierced the man's neck.

"What the hell?!" the man shouted as he grabbed his neck in pain. As he reached for his gun Lupin kicked him in the chest, knocking him down. By then the needle had done it's job and the man layed unconscious on the floor.

Lupin knelt down by the man and took his gun, as well as Lupin's own gun and Fujiko's. "Let's get the hell out of here," he said as they both ran down the hall.

They didn't get far until an alarm rang out and groups of armed men gave chase. Lupin and Fujiko shot back as they ducked the mens bullets. Finding a door to the stairway, they entered and started running down the many flights of stairs. "Where are we going?" Fujiko asked.

"I don't know," Lupin answered. "Huh?" He looked up as something flew down the the center and passed them. "Get down!" He grabbed Fujiko and ducked down with her as the missile that was fired made contact and exploded, ripping apart the stairs below. "I guess we'll go here," Lupin said as he ran through the smoke and dust to the door that faced them. He opened the door and waited for Fujiko, who shot up at the men a few flights above.

The room on the other side of the door was a large multi-leveled parking garage. The lights on the ceiling flickered as the two ran through it. The sounds of yelling and motorcycles got louder by the second. Soon three motorcycles driven by armed men sped down on them. Fujiko and Lupin ran and dove behind a parked car, escaping the spray of bullets.

"So, now what?" Fujiko asked as Lupin rose up to shoot at the men as they drove by.

"Come on," Lupin said as he grabbed her hand and ran, half ducking, behind the cars parked next to them. Bullets flew over their heads and into the cars, spraying glass around them. Lupin rose as the men once again made a pass, shooting the man riding the farthest bike.

The man screamed in pain, he and the bike falling on their sides and sliding along the pavement. Lupin and Fujiko ran forward, Lupin grabbing the bike and setting it upright. He got on it, Fujiko getting on the back and wrapping her arms around his waist. "Hang on," he said to her as he revived the engine and sped forward, the other two bikes approaching.

Fujiko reached into Lupin's jacket and grabbed his gun, shooting one of the bikes tires out while shooting the seconds rider, both bikes losing control and crashing off to the sides.

Lupin sped up the ramp to the next level. Men with guns came out, shooting at them as they passed, but unable to make a hit. Getting past the few obstacles in the garage, they were in the clear as Lupin rode the bike out of the building and towards the airport.

----

"You're where?" Jigen asked into his cellphone. "Great. We'll meet you there." He placed the phone in his jacket and put more pressure on the accelerator. "Lupin and Fujiko are waiting at the airport. He says he'll explain everything once we get there." He sped off towards the airport.

* * *

The car came to a screeching halt in front of the airport, the four jumping out of it and running to the sliding glass doors. "Hey!" the guard at the entrance said as they approached. "You can't park your car there!"

"Then move it," Jigen said, tossing him the keys as he ran inside.

"Huh?" The guard looked down at the keys in his hand and then at the door. "Hey!" he yelled. "Get back here!"

They ran to the appropriate terminal, where Lupin and Fujiko waited for them. "You like to cut it short, don't you?" Lupin asked Jigen with a grin. "The planes leaves in five minutes. Here." He handed them all their tickets as he turned toward the door, handing the attendant his ticket before heading to the plane, the others following.

"So? What happened?" Jigen followed Lupin down the aisle of the plane and to their seats.

"Our car was surrounded on the way to the warehouse," Lupin said as he sat down. "Geez, I said I wanted a window seat," he complained, his chair the being the third one in. "Hey, Hana, I think I gave you my ticket."

Hana looked at him and smiled. "Too late now." She snuggled into her seat and stared out the window.

"You can have mine," Toshiko said, sitting behind Hana.

Jigen, who sat next to her, looked up, the thoughts of sitting next to Lupin somewhat awkward. "Then I'll switch with Fujiko."

"I'd rather sit next to Goemon," Hana said as she stared at Toshiko.

All except Hana stood up and switched seats. When they were all settled, Jigen went back to his question. "Who surrounded you?"

"Just...just some thugs." Lupin stared out the window as the plane sat.

The stewardess walked down the aisle, informing the passengers the plane was ready to take off and to put on their safety belts.

"The thugs we're after?" Jigen asked once the stewardess had passed.

"They work for the ones we're after," Lupin answered, the others quiet waiting for his explanation. "Zenigata is in a prison somewhere in Norway. I figure once we get there you guys can get more information."

"And what will you be doing?" Goemon asked.

"I've agreed to help them get what they want," Lupin said to everyone's surprise.

"You never told me that," Fujiko said, a bit angered.

"You do know how big Norway is, right Lupin?" Jigen glanced back at him. "Now unless there's a city called Somewhere, then I don't see how we're going to find him."

"You'll find him," Lupin said, his voice emotionless as his mind was on other things.

----

The plane landed in Oslo smoothly, coming to a slow stop before everyone grabbed their luggage and prepared to exit. Toshiko jumped out of her seat and ran down the aisle, the others slowly following. When they got off the plane and into the terminal they regrouped. "So?" Jigen asked.

Just then three large Russian men approached them. "You Lupin?" one asked in a heavy accented english.

Lupin remained silent and nodded. He then looked at the others. "You know what to do."

"Come on," the man in the middle said as he shoved Lupin forward, the three of them leading him away from the others.

"Hey!" Jigen yelled as he ran after them, only to be stopped by Goemon.

"He knows what he's doing," Goemon said. "We need to figure out what we're going to do."

"I'm following them," Fujiko said as she ran off in their direction.

"Fujiko, that wasn't part of the...ah, forget it." Jigen sighed as he watched her disappear into the crowd.

"We should probably split up," Hana said, much to Goemon's disliking.

Jigen grinned. "Well, you two love birds have fun."

"Come on, Goemon," Hana said, grabbing the hand of a blushing Goemon and leading him towards the front of the airport.

"So, what do we do?" Toshiko asked.

"Wander," Jigen answered as he walked in the direction Goemon and Hana went.

"Wander? That's it?"

"What did you expect?"

"I don't know." Toshiko shrugged as they stepped outside and stopped, looking around. "Kill people or something. Isn't that what you guys do?"

Jigen looked at her and laughed. "We steal things. Only when we have to do we kill people."

Toshiko looked around at the odd architecture around her. She looked back to say something when she noticed Jigen walking away down the sidewalk. She turned and ran to catch up, walking alongside him. "And when you have neither to do, you wander."

"Exactly."

The two wandered the city, Toshiko more on a sight seeing tour as this was her first time in Oslo. Jigen, seeing how much she was enjoying herself, decided to let her lead the way. She happily did so, going in and out of shops, taking her time as she looked at all the foreign items.

"Having fun?" Jigen asked as they sat inside a small retaurant.

"I guess," she answered, sipping on the soft drink in front of her. "Are we ever going to find my dad?"

"Sure we are." He reached inside of his jacket and pulled out something he concealed in his palm. "Take this and hide it somewhere on you." He brought his hand out towards Toshiko, who stared at it in confusion. "Take it," he repeated, a bit more demanding this time.

Toshiko put her hand out and took what he gave her, a small thin black piece of metal. "I don't understand..."

"Stick it in your shoe or something."

"Um...okay." She slid the metal inside her shoe, still not understanding. "What's going on?"

"There's two guys sitting at the other end of the restaurant," he said, glancing over at them. "They've been following us for the last three blocks."

"And what does that have to do with what I put in my shoe?"

"It's a tracking device."

"Oh.....oh!" She finally understood as she got more excited. "So, what do I do?"

"First of all, don't get too excited. This plan may backfire."

"No, because you guys will be there to save me, right?"

"It doesn't always work that way."

"Oh," she said, becoming more unsure about the whole thing.

"Just go along with it, all right? Whatever they tell you to do, do it."

"I don't like this plan anymore," she said, now becoming scared.

"You want to find your dad, right? This way, they'll lead us right to him. And then once we find out where he is we'll come in and get you."

She looked up at him and slowly nodded. "Okay."

"Walk to the bathroom and after a couple of minutes come out. Whatever happens, just go along with it."

She nodded, standing and walking towards the bathrooms, located near where the two men sat. Jigen sat back and stared down at the table. When the door to the bathroom opened, the two men stood and rushed towards it, grabbing Toshiko and walking hurridly to the front door.

"Let go of me!" she yelled as she hit the men with her fists. "Jigen!"

Jigen jumped up and rushed towards the men, one taking Toshiko out while the other grabbed Jigen and tossed him aside. He got up, hurt, and limped to the door, watching as the men threw Toshiko into a car and sped off.

* * *

Goemon and Hana were walking towards the restaurant when the car sped off. Seeing Jigen running outside, they ran up to him. "What was that about?" Goemon asked.

"They took the kid," Jigen said, staring down the street at the now out of sight car.

"Oh, well that's great," Hana said as she stared at Jigen. "And where were you?"

"Relax," Jigen said as he pulled out his cell phone, pressing some buttons until the signal showed up on the small screen. "That was the whole plan. We need to get a car and follow them."

"Plan?" Goemon stared at him in uncertainty. "You mean you put her in danger?"

Jigen was busy taking a couples car by gunpoint to hear his question. "Get in!" he hollered as the couple started yelling, getting the attention of the others around.

Goemon and Hana ran to the car and got inside. "Aren't you afraid something might happen to her?" Goemon asked.

"We discussed it and she agreed." Jigen sped through a red light, narrowly missing a car, as he tried to shorten the distance between them and the kidnappers. "Besides, it was the only way I figured we'd get this job the hell over with." He spotted the vehicle about two hundred yards ahead before it turned down a side street, driving and turning down the same street.

"And that's all that matters to you?" Hana asked.

"Oh, then I must have missed your head full of ideas, Hana," Jigen said, glaring back at her. "How would you have gone about doing things?"

Hana returned the glare, crossing her arms and sitting silently, staring out the window.

Jigen mumbled something under his breath, stopping the car as the other stopped, the men taking Toshiko into a two-storied grey building. He parked at the curb behind the vehicle and got out, staring at the front of the building.

"So, now what?" Hana asked as she stepped outside, Goemon following her.

"My sword may be in there," Goemon said, pushing ahead of Jigen and walking towards the front door.

"Yeah, really subtle," Jigen muttered. He shook his head, watching Goemon walk through the front door, Hana following close behind. He looked down at the phone and checked the signal. It was now around the middle of the building. "Probably the lower levels." He closed the phone and stuck it in his jacket, reaching back and grabbing his gun as he made his way toward the back of the building.

The back door was open just slightly, a sliver of wood keeping it from closing all the way. The flattened cigarette butts told Jigen that this was where the workers would go on short breaks, the wood set in place to prevent them from getting locked out.

"Convenient," he muttered, opening the door and aiming his gun around inside.

Hearing faint voices Jigen proceeded, making his way down a narrow hallway, running past doors to offices and storage rooms.

The building appeared to be some sort of company business, the front Jigen guessed was where the actual production took place, the back being the business area.

Gunshots and yelling were soon heard, Jigen stopping and looking towards the noise, only hoping that Goemon and Hana would come out okay. He had more urgent matters to attend to at that time, the life of Toshiko in his hands.

He ran as fast as he could down the stairwell and through the door at the bottom. Meeting no resistance, he continued.

The basement was a small maze of halls, pipes and crates. Gun ready, he maneuvered quietly through the small spaces, stopping and pressing himself against the wall when he heard voices.

----

Zenigata sat on the cold cement floor, his hands handcuffed above him to a pipe. He stared worrisome at his terrified daughter, a large man holding her tightly while placing a gun to her head.

"You gonna give us what we want?" the man asked in anger, his patience running out.

"I would, but that's all I know," Zenigata answered, a small growl in his voice.

The man scoffed. "Fine," he said, giving up. "You know, I would have thought the life of your daughter meant more to you than that." He shoved Toshiko towards her father, then raised his gun, ready to shoot.

"No!" Zenigata yelled out.

Before he could fire, Jigen stepped out and fired off a shot, hitting and knocking the gun from the man's hands.

Disarmed, the man gave up, but was soon smirking as another man came from behind Jigen, placing a gun to his head.

"Drop it," the man ordered, Jigen doing what he was told. "Now, get over there with the others."

Jigen glanced over at Zenigata and Toshiko and walked towards them, taking his time to reach where they were.

A man raced into the area and up to the two men. "We have a problem," he said in a rushed voice, panting heavily.

"What kind of problem?" one of the men asked.

"It's the cops. Someone must have tipped them off."

"Dammit," the other sighed. "Keep an eye on them." He looked towards the other man and nodded, both heading out and leaving the messenger on watch.

"Nice to see you alive," Jigen said, leaning against the wall next to Zenigata as he kept an eye on the man.

Zenigata remained quiet as his daughter sat next to him, happy to see him while her arms wrapped around his waist.

"How did you manage to survive?" Jigen glanced down at Zenigata and then back up.

"It was Pavlo," Zenigata said, taking a pause before explaining all that had happened.

* * *

Zenigata opened his eyes, the low laying cloud of dust causing him to cough, each cough causing him pain as he struggled to get up. He started to remember what had happened, the battle with the skeletons, the killing of the gang members and of the officers that accompanied Ashida.

"Ahh, so the sleeping one stirs." A tall, thin, tan skinned man stood, leaning against one of the large rocks that had fallen earlier.

"Who are you?" Zenigata asked, the feelings of anger, panic, and confusion racing through him.

"I am the one called Pavlo," the man said, a crooked smile forming on his lips. "I am the one who controls the death that lingers in this haunted place."

"So...I'm dead?"

Pavlo laughed, stopping abruptly as a serious look came over him. "No." His answer was quick. "You are...alive."

Pavlo's behavior wasn't what you would call normal. He spoke and acted like someone with a psychotic nature, yet not with psychotic thoughts. His movements were jerky, his voice would fluctuate mid sentence.

Zenigata stood still and silent, watching Pavlo closely. He didn't trust him at all. It wasn't the fact that he was able to control the dead or that he tried to have them killed. It was just an odd feeling he had about the man.

"You keep your distance. Not trusting, I see." Pavlo began to slowly wander in a large circle, his hands clasped together behind his back.

"What do you want?"

Pavlo stopped and laughed, staring straight ahead, his eyes empty and glossy looking. "I spared you, yet you ask me questions. Fine. That is fine." Once again he started wandering. "I am Pavlo. I come from a land far away. I was a slave. Or I was a king. Or I was a just a noble working man. Or..." He stopped and looked at Zenigata. "I was someone who never existed."

Zenigata gave a confused and angered look.

Pavlo, seeing his reaction, laughed. "Your time was not up. You live another day. You die later on."

"And what about all the others who died? What about their time?"

"It ended. Simple. Done. Gone." The last word was said at a higher pitch than the others, a large smile on his face as he said it. "But you..." He titled his head to one side and laughed as he pointed at Zenigata. "You go elsewhere."

Pavlo made odd gestures with his hands, in the end holding them open palmed at Zenigata, who vanished.

----

Zenigata woke up in a small hut. He rubbed his eyes, the sun peaking through the small holes in the ceiling. Outside there was the murmuring of several people. Animals blurted out loudly as carts and cars went by.

"You are up," a woman said in Spanish as she entered the hut, bending over and setting down a bucket of water. "How are you feeling?"

"Huh?" Zenigata stared at her blankly and shook his head. "I-I don't understand..."

The woman smiled, handing him a small ceramic cup full of water. "You...feel...okay?" she asked, her English not that fluent.

Zenigata nodded, the woman smiling and leaving. Was this all just a dream? he thought to himself as held his head. If it was then... "Where am I?"

He stood, walking over to the large rectangular piece of fabric that served as a door to the hut he was in. Pushing it aside he stared out as his surroundings, wincing from the brightness of the sun.

----

Zenigata later found out he was in some village in Columbia. He was found on the ground unconscious and taken there by the ones who had found him. He was cared for there over the next few days until he was well enough to leave.

He was told directions to the next town and so he set off alone, reaching it just as the sun was setting.

----

Over the next eleven months he worked there, trying to save enough money to get him to an airport and back to Japan.

He worked odd jobs, the pay not great, and after paying his rent and his food and beer expenses he had almost what he needed, figuring he'd need to work a few more weeks until he could leave.

He went to the factory he was employed at, starting yet another boring day of labor. There was a large commotion outside, four armed men forcing their way inside the building.

The men were silent, holding the place hostage while picking out four men, one being Zenigata, and forcing them into a van. The four were blindfolded, taken to a quiet location. When one refused to give the answers the gunmen were looking for they were shot in the head.

Zenigata was last and when his question came he answered it as truthfully as he could, expecting to be killed like the others. But the shot never came, only a laugh was heard, followed by some quick ramblings in Russian.

----

Three days later he was flown to a location he wasn't sure of, as he was still blindfolded. Stepping off the plane, the cold winds chilled him. From there he was put in a car, driven off to yet another unknown location.

It was there that he was handcuffed, getting asked many questions over the next several days, all of them having to do with a case he had worked on years ago.

* * *

"And so who exactly was this Valerie Rowls?" Jigen asked.

The three had become more relaxed, the man watching them sitting comfortably in a chair as he read the paper. Although it didn't look like it, he was keeping a close watch on them. Or rather an open ear to what they were saying.

"She was the daughter of some lunatic," Zenigata answered. "Her father claimed to have found the location of Asgard. He dove under the sea, documenting drawings and writings of what he saw. One thing he said he found was Gram, Odin's sword of invincibility."

"Was there ever such a thing?" Jigen glanced over at Zenigata, almost hating himself for asking the question.

"According to him he took control of it and it drove him insane. One of the things he wrote was that it told him to take it back to Asgard."

"And his daughter believed him..."

"She jumped from the plane over the spot her father had documented as being Asgard."

"Yeah," Jigen sighed. "Ashida told us. Said something about running out of time and he took off."

"Running out of time?" Zenigata pondered those words.

"What about the other thefts?" Toshiko asked. "The other artifacts? Do they have something to do with this?"

"Maybe Ashida knows more about this than he's letting on," Jigen said.

At that moment the man in the chair rose, looking in anger towards his right. He yelled something in Russian as he went for his gun, but was soon hit with the end of a broom handle, Hana finally coming into view.

Hana was greatly disadvantaged in the small space, her strikes short and not that powerful, most of the damage coming from the jabs, of which she made good use of, poking at the man's ribs and face, giving enough time for Goemon to come in with a chop to his neck, knocking him out cold.

"So," Jigen said, walking towards the unconscious man, "I take it everyone in this building is now knocked out." He knelt down and fished through the man's pockets, finding a small set of keys.

"Some escaped," Goemon said, sounding a bit disappointed at that fact.

"Good." Jigen was now working on unlocking the cuffs around Zenigata's hands. "Maybe we can find them and see where they go."

Goemon glanced over at Zenigata and nodded, a slight smile on his face. He was happy to see him alive and well, but he wasn't about to say it out loud.

"Where's Lupin?" Zenigata asked.

"He's with some Russians, helping them find this Gram," Jigen answered as he led the way out of the basement.

"So, he's turned on us?" Zenigata seemed disappointed, but not really surprised.

"Didn't start out that way," Jigen said.

"It never does," Zenigata remarked.

They all made it out of the building, leaving by the back door Jigen had entered through. Rushing down the alley to the sidewalk, they stopped, looking around for any sign of the escapees.

"Damn it," Jigen muttered, no sign of them anywhere.

"So, now what?" Hana asked.

"We either wait for Lupin or Fujiko to call, or we go after Ashida." Jigen pulled out his phone and handed it to Toshiko. "Call the main Tokyo precinct. Ask them how to get ahold of Ashida."

Toshiko took the phone, looking a bit hesitant. "But, what do I say?"

"Say you found out something about the case and you need to talk to him," Jigen answered.

Toshiko did just that, being put on hld for a few minutes. She was finally given a number to call, ending the call at the station and dialing the one she was given.

Her conversation with Ashida was short. She told him that Lupin had found something important to the case and that he told her to relay the message. She then said she had to meet him, as there were articles to be handed over as well.

She repeated the address out loud so the others could hear it. The call was then ended and she handed the phone back to Jigen.

----

"Inspector Zenigata," Ashida said in shock as he stood. "But, how did you-"

"That's not important right now," Zenigata said. "Maybe you should tell us what's going on."

Ashida hesitated, not knowing what to say. The thickening air began to get to him. He felt threatened and, fearing for his safety, he talked. "This 'Gram' doesn't exist", he said with a long sigh.

"If it doesn't exist, then what's everybody after?" Jigen asked.

"The date that crazy woman Rowls gave us, it was the night of a full lunar eclipse," Ashida explained. "I didn't want to believe it, trust me. It was some far-fetched solution some rookie threw out. That, maybe the tides lowered and something really was there."

"Sonar never picked anything up, though," Zenigata thought aloud. "There couldn't have been anything there."

"A picture surfaced that was taken during a partial lunar eclipse back in the early 1900's. It showed something in the water, but not enough to say it was something great. It could have been rocks for all I know."

"The next lunar eclipse is tomorrow night," Jigen said.

"And, so what happens then?" Toshiko wondered.

"You're sure it was the spot she showed us," Zenigata said.

Ashida shrugged.

"Wait," Hana said, not really believing any of this. "Let me get this straight. Some guy sees something in the ocean, at night, and dives down to some magical place. He finds a sword, takes notes of what he saw, at night, and then goes crazy and drowns."

The others were silent.

"It doesn't make sense."

"The artifacts that were stolen," Ashida added, "he also writes of finding them in "Asgard" as well."

"And what role does my sword play into this?" Goemon asked.

"What easier way is there to release Gram?" Ashida answered.

"But, you just said-"

"Hey, I'm just going by what I read," Ashida said, interrupting Goemon. "Who knows. Maybe there is a sword. If there is, it certainly doesn't make one invincible."

"He died returning the sword," Zenigata realized.

"And," Ashida said before anyone could say anything, "he is dead. They found his body on shore two weeks later, clutching an old rusty sword."

"So, if he had the sword, why would it be under the ocean?" Hana asked, frustrated by the nonsense.

"The police took the sword, but then the next day it was gone." Ashida looked up at her and then the others. He then closed his eyes and sighed deeply. "Look, I'm not one to believe these myths, but if this sword is real, we don't need it getting into the wrong hands."

"Do you still remember where this spot in the ocean was?" Jigen asked.

Ashida nodded slowly.

* * *

I knew I'd forget about updating this thing. xD And I realized I had this rated M when it didn't really need to be. Oh well. The unfinished original that I threw away was. :D And I only started to like this story when I wrote that part with Zenigata and Pavlo. Took me long enough, geez...


	16. Bonus : Sequel Part Five

**Asgard, Land of Gods**

**Part Five**

Lupin sat in front of a desk, the two large Russians on either side of him, his father sitting across the way. "You have me here, so what do I do?"

"You seem eager," his father said with a grin.

"Well, I'm not, so let's just get on with this."

His father laughed, standing and walking to the window, looking out it. "Tomorrow night during the eclipse a tower will appear. You will dive down to the bottom, offer the three gifts to the statue of Odin and gain entrance. Then, you find the alter with the sword, cut the stone using your friends sword and swim back with the one you obtained."

"And then you'll leave me and my family alone?"

"For now I will."

"Right..."

"Look who I found snooping around," another Russian man said as he walked in, holding Fujiko by the arm and shoving her inside the room.

"I guess that means I have insurance now," Lupin's father said, looking at him with an evil grin.

----

"Why did you come?"

Fujiko sat cross legged on the bed, staring across at Lupin, who was sitting comfortably in a chair.

"That wasn't part of the plan."

"I know, but I couldn't follow your plan."

Lupin looked down and sighed. He knew he should have known better than believe Fujiko would play by the rules.

"What does he want you to do?"

"I have to dive down tomorrow night and get a sword for him. Then this will be over."

"All of this for some sword?"

Lupin shrugged. "It's not just any sword. It's magical." As he said the last line he brought his hands up and wriggled his fingers as he gave a look as though he were surprised and in awe.

Fujiko laughed, Lupin joining her. "What's so magical about it?" she asked.

"It makes you invincible," he said, as if it were no big deal.

"You're joking, right?"

"That's what they say. It will make it's holder invincible. I think it's a load of crap."

"But, what if it really does make someone invincible?"

"Then...we'll all be bowing down to my dad, I guess."

----

"Anything?" Zenigata asked as Ashida scoped out the ocean. It was now night, the group camped out in a lighthouse.

"Nothing." Ashida handed the binoculars to Zenigata, leaving the small window and going back to the heater the others were huddled around.

The wind howled and slammed against the thick paned windows. The fog that had formed in the evening was just starting to dissipate.

Zenigata looked out at the endless ocean as he sat on the window seat. He lowered the binoculars, but remained near the window, the cold not seeming to bother him as he gazed out into the darkness.

"Here," Toshiko said, holding a cup of coffee out for her father.

"Thanks," Zenigata said, taking the cup and holding it in his hands.

Toshiko smiled, sitting down on the other end of the window seat and staring out the window. "You're still gonna go after Lupin, huh?"

Zenigata took a sip of the coffee. He then glanced at her and then back out the window.

"Mom said you would, even after death."

"How has she been?"

Toshiko shrugged. "Fine, I guess."

"I'll see her when I take you back home."

"She'd like that," she said with a smile.

"Yeah." He returned the smile, then glanced at the clock on the wall. "Maybe you should get some sleep."

Toshiko nodded, hugging her dad and then going over to the heater, laying down near it.

The living quarters in the lighthouse was small, made for at most two people. Jigen claimed the small couch while Ashida took the chair. Goemon sat against one of the walls, Hana laying down nearby.

Zenigata stood, grabbing a blanket and draping it over Toshiko before heading to the small stove, refilling his cup of coffee. Returning to the window, he continued to stare out into the darkness while the others slept.

----

Morning had come, Ashida now at the window while Zenigata slept in the chair. Jigen and Goemon were the only ones, besides Ashida, that were awake.

"Anything happen?" Jigen asked.

"They've been by here four times scoping the area out. Chased away a whaling ship and a couple fishing boats, but other than that, not much."

"Is everything ready for tonight?"

Ashida looked at Jigen and nodded. "We got a boat, scuba gear, weapons..."

Jigen nodded as he stared out the window.

----

The day had gone on, constant overhead patrol taking place in the lighthouse, while out on the ocean a boat was anchored.

Two men surfaced from the water, pulling themselves onto the boat and removing their scuba masks and tanks. "It's clear," one said.

"I want you two down there tonight as security," Lupin's father said. "I don't want anybody getting in the way. Especially no cops."  
The two men nodded and headed below deck.

Lupin, lounging with Fujiko on deck chairs, began to laugh. "Taking things a bit seriously, aren't we?"

"Hmph. Better than making a game out of it."

"You were never one to have fun, were you?"

"Depends on what I'm doing," he answered with a sly smile before heading below deck.

"Sometimes it's hard to think of you two as related," Fujiko said sarcastically.

Lupin opened an eye and glanced at her, a big grin on his face.

----

Jigen, dressed in a black wetsuit, sat on a rock, his view hidden by the breaker he was near. He grabbed the two tanks behind him and fit them over his back.

"We're almost ready," Ashida said.

Jigen nodded as he put his flippers on, fitting the scuba mask over his eyes and grabbing the harpoon gun and a canvas bag, slinging both over his shoulder. "Two hours, right?"

Ashida checked his watch. "Two hours exactly."

Jigen set his watch, waiting patiently.

----

"You remember everything, right?"

Lupin looked back at his father and glared. "I'm not four, you know."

His father laughed, then looked down at his watch.

Lupin finished putting on his wetsuit, picking up the metal case near him and setting it over with the other gear. He then stood and gazed over the ocean, Fujiko coming up behind him.

"You can't leave me here alone with him," she said, almost as if pleading with him.

"Relax," Lupin answered as he wrapped an arm around her. "If he does anything to you then he doesn't get the sword."

Fujiko wasn't too sure about what she heard, figuring she'd just have to take care of him herself if anything was done.

"It's almost time," one of the men hollered from below deck, coming up the stairs in a wetsuit and followed by two others wearing the same thing.

The three grabbed their gear and some weapons, getting everything ready before jumping into the ocean and taking their positions.

* * *

Jigen swam down into the water, the darkness slowly enveloping him. He stayed at a depth that had some visibility, one of which was fading as the sun began to set.

Sensing something behind him he stopped and spun around, grabbing his harpoon gun and shooting, his harpoon meeting with the one aimed at him, both hitting then sinking into the darkness.

Jigen turned back and swam down, the other man following.

Soon there were two men who gave chase, each firing harpoons, hoping to hit their target.

Jigen continued to swim until a harpoon fired towards him, barely missing his head. He stopped, finding himself surrounded by the three armed men.

One was soon grabbed from behind. And then a second was grabbed. Jigen swam up to the third man, too confused at what was going on to ready himself for a fight.

After a short struggle the three were tied up and then tied together to a large rock at the ocean bottom.

Jigen looked over at Goemon and Zenigata, both in similar scuba gear, and nodded. He then looked at his watch, motioning to the others that they had thirty minutes left.

----

Lupin kissed Fujiko, then put in his mouth piece and jumped off into the water. He surfaced, smiling and waving at her before setting off.

"Don't disappoint me," his father hollered, giving a stern look.

Lupin shrugged then dove down. He swam deeper and deeper, heading towards the point he was told to go.

After ten minutes of swimming and searching he found it, the odd formation of rocks that was supposed to be near the entrance to the tower. And so he waited, checking his watch.

----

Jigen led the way, Zenigata pointing out certain landmarks that looked familiar, trying hard to remember the scribbles he saw long ago.

The current seemed to change, getting stronger as they swam. Off in the distance a dull light began to shine. The three stopped and watched.

----

Lupin looked around, his hands reached behind him and holding onto the rocks. The light in front of him shone brighter, the sand around it swirling upwards until it was hidden, darkness once again filling the waters.

The sand continued to move upwards, the area in front of him just a big cloudy spot.

The water soon began to calm itself, the sand falling back to the ocean floor, revealing an ancient tower. More of it appeared by the second, the sand thinning, until the whole thing was visible.

Lupin stared in awe of the structure, an eerie glow surrounding it. Letting go of the rocks he swam forward, finding the marble alter that layed in front of the marble statue that seemed to greet people entering the tower.

Grabbing his harpoon gun, Lupin turned, ready to fire on those he sensed approaching, but stopping as he saw the familiar faces.

His eyes rested on Zenigata the longest, happy to see him again. He smiled, shaking his head slightly, Zenigata looking at him with a big smirk on his face.

The three swam over, joining Lupin and watching as he set the three small artifacts in their respected slots at the alter. When they were all set in place, the four waited.

They didn't have to wait long, the door to the tower sliding open, granting them entrance.

The interior of the tower was small and nothing much to look at. The wooden floors to the higher levels were worn and rotting. Broken vases layed on the bottom floor. Various forms of sea life covered what were once beautiful statues.

Two of these statues stood at the far end of the tower, between them placed what appeared to be a tree trunk, a sword plunged straight into it.

They swam over to it, brushing away some of the sea life to look at the inscription carved into the wood of the trunk.

Whatever it said, no one knew, as it was in a writing they had never seen before.

Lupin swam up and grabbed the handle of the sword with both hands, pulling upwards with no success. He then reached back, pulling Goemon's sword out from behind the oxygen tanks and handing it to Goemon, giving him the honor of cutting out the sword.

Goemon held his sword tightly, happy to have it back. He swam in front of the trunk, concentrating before the attack.

But right before he pulled out his sword to strike he was stopped by Jigen.

Lupin looked at him in confusion, Jigen shaking his head. He then looked over at Zenigata, who also shook his head.

Jigen pulled out an old sword from the bag on his back, handing it to Lupin.

Lupin took the sword, then looked over to the one in the trunk. He smiled and nodded, the four then swimming away from the sword, Lupin stopping and taking one last look at it before finally leaving the tower.

They gathered at the entrance, Goemon taking two quick swipes at the three artifacts, each one falling into pieces to the ocean floor. The door slid shut, the currents starting to change as sand was kicked up again.

The four swam away from it, stopping and looking back as the sand began to settle, the tower nowhere in site.

Lupin waved and headed up to the boat, the others swimming off to where they wouldn't be seen or heard when surfacing.

----

Lupin pulled himself from the water onto the boat, removing the mask and tanks and kicking off the flippers.

"You got it, I hope," his father said as he approached.

"Yeah, I got it." He handed him the sword he had received from Jigen.

His father smiled and looked the sword over, pulling out the blade and swinging it in front of him before staring at it.

"We can go now, right?"

His father sheathed the sword and glanced over at Lupin. "Not yet. First we have to see if this is the famous Gram."

"I went to the tower. I got you the sword."

"You're lying." His father stared suspiciously.

"What would I have to gain from lying?"

"Everything." He pulled the sword out and held it to Fujiko's neck. "What'd you do with it?"

"You're holding it in your hand," Lupin answered angrily.

His father smirked, looking up as he laughed. "So, you cut the sword away and then leave your friends sword at the bottom of the ocean?"

Lupin stared at his father, kicking himself on the inside for not thinking that far ahead.

"I'll ask you once more," he said, pressing the sword against Fujiko's neck. "Where's the sword?"

Lupin glared at his father, then looked over at the worried Fujiko. "It's still inside the tower. And the keys to get inside are useless now."

A sneer formed on his fathers face, a low growl escaping his mouth. "You son of a bitch!" He pulled the sword back, ready to strike at Lupin when sirens rang in the distance, a spotlight shining on the boat from the distance.

They looked towards the light, Lupin looking back as his father grabbed the oxygen tanks he had been wearing and put them on. "I guess I can still sell this," he said, holding up the sword. "I'll see you some other day, son. Be prepared, for you will pay for this somehow." He turned and jumped off into the water, the sirens getting louder.

Lupin walked over to Fujiko, who put her arm around him, he doing the same, both staring out at the police boat as it got closer.

* * *

"You like to cut it close, don't you?" Lupin watched as the boats came to a stop, bumping slightly the one he and Fujiko were on.

A group of officers jumped onto the boat and began to search.

"They're already gone," Lupin told them.

"So?" Jigen jumped onto the boat and approached the two, Goemon and Zenigata right behind him.

"He knows it's a fake. When I didn't bring Goemon's sword back he knew something was up."

"You gonna be okay?"

Lupin glanced at Jigen and nodded.

"So, it was true all along." Ashida stayed on the boat he arrived on, leaning against the railing as he stared at the reflection of the once again full moon.

Lupin looked over at him and then back to Jigen. "Yeah. Yeah it was."

"What's with you?" Jigen asked with a laugh. "This is all over. Let's go celebrate or get drunk or something."

"Yeah, I could use a drink," Lupin said as he forced a smile.

----

They boarded the police boats and sped off, a larger boat on it's way to tow Lupin's fathers boat to the harbor.

The boats were soon docked, Ashida transferring custody of Lupin and the others, who had been ordered handcuffed, to Zenigata. Ashida and the other officers then left.

"I guess the celebration's on hold, huh?" Jigen glanced over at Zenigata.

"I've got more important things to do than deal with you four." Zenigata then uncuffed them. "You're free to go, this time."

"So, you promise there will be a next time?" Lupin asked with a grin.

Zenigata grinned back and nodded his head. "I always said I'd arrest you and one day I will."

"Yeah." Lupin smiled, watching as Zenigata left with his daughter, who glanced back at them, smiled and waved, getting a wave in return.

----

Zenigata and his daughter got off the plane, getting in a cab for the long drive to Kyoto.

Toshiko fell asleep, leaning against her father. Zenigata stared out the window, taking in the sights that at one time in his life he thought he'd never see again.

They arrived at the front of the apartment complex, most of the apartments that faced the street darkened. Zenigata payed the man, waking Toshiko. They both got out, Toshiko running towards the front door while Zenigata hesitated, staring up at the buildings six stories.

"Come on," Toshiko said, running back and grabbing her fathers hand, pulling him towards the front and inside the lobby.

The two got on the elevator, riding it to the second floor and exiting. Toshiko led the way, stopping in front of a plain door, turning and waiting for her father to catch up before knocking.

Zenigata stood and stared at the door, nervous as he waited. He wasn't exactly sure the reaction he was about to get or even how he would react.

The door opened, a man who looked as though he was just woken up answering.

"Oh, it's you," Toshiko said in disappointment.

"Toshiko?" The man woke up upon seeing her. "Where the hell have you been? And who do you think you are, running off like that?"

"Where's mom?" she asked, ignoring him.

"She's asleep, so keep your voice down." He looked up at Zenigata. "Who the hell are you?"

"I'm her father," he answered as he glared at the man. "Who the hell are you?"

"Wait, her what? But, I thought you-"

"What's going on? Who's at the door?" a woman's voice asked as she came down the hall.

"Mom!" Toshiko ran forward, hugging her.

"Toshiko," her mother cried out, overjoyed to see her. She wrapped her arms around her, holding tightly, never wanting to lose her again.

"Ayame."

She froze when she heard the familiar voice, her eyes trailing up slowly to Zenigata, who now stood just inside the door. "Koichi," she said in a breathy whisper.

Toshiko let go of her mother, who then let go of her. She looked up at her and back to Zenigata, a big smile on her face.

Ayame took two steps forward before rushing towards him. The two embraced one another, Ayame with her head resting against his chest as she cried, Zenigata with his head bowed, his right hand rubbing her back as his left arm was wrapped around her waist.

Neither said anything as Toshiko and her stepfather looked on, him with a look of confusion and anger, her with one of pure happiness, her parents back together again, if only for a short while.

* * *

And it's done, yay! :D No more posting old stories for me. Hope those of you who read this enjoyed it. Thanks for reading. :3


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